The United Nations says airstrikes on Thursday in Helmand and Kunar provinces killed at least 10 civilians, most of them children, and injured nine. Pakistan acknowledged "planned and calibrated" strikes targeting militants and initially claimed 22 militants were killed. Eyewitnesses described destroyed homes and frantic rescue efforts, while aid groups treated wounded civilians. UNAMA notes more than 500 civilians have died in related cross-border violence since October.
UN: Airstrikes in Afghanistan Kill At Least 10 Civilians, Mostly Children — Pakistan Says It Targeted Militants
The Taliban government has criticised Pakistan for violating Afghanistan's sovereignty (Aimal ZAHIR)
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported that airstrikes on Thursday killed at least 10 civilians, most of them children, and injured nine people. Pakistan acknowledged carrying out "planned and calibrated" strikes targeting militants but did not disclose precise locations.
The strikes struck southern Helmand province and Kunar province along the Pakistan border, UNAMA said, confirming casualty figures earlier provided by Afghan officials. Pakistan's information ministry said two sites were hit "based on credible intelligence, selective targeting of terrorist camps and hideouts," and initially reported 22 militants killed along with weapons and ammunition destroyed.
Eyewitness Accounts and Local Impact
Residents in Helmand described multiple explosions. From Safar village, 50-year-old Abdul Wahid told reporters that the raids killed four people and wounded seven. Another villager, 32-year-old Qudrat Ullah, said a neighbour's house was struck: "The whole area is destroyed," he said, adding that civilians — including children and women — were among the casualties.
In Kunar's remote Chugam Valley, an AFP reporter saw the ruins of stone houses after a pre-dawn attack. Mohammad Hashim, a 30-year-old farmer who rushed to help, described frantic rescue efforts: "There was a woman, she was screaming for help to get her out of the rubble. She was having trouble breathing and told us that there are more people over there." Rescue teams later found a man and four children who had been killed, he said.
Medical Response
Two children were admitted for treatment to a hospital in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, run by the Italian NGO EMERGENCY, which confirmed it had received casualties from the strikes.
Wider Context
The strikes come amid ongoing cross-border tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan after the countries clashed earlier in the year and failed to reach a lasting security agreement following a March truce. According to UNAMA figures, more than 500 civilians have been killed in violence related to clashes and cross-border operations between the two countries since October.
Official Positions: Islamabad says the operations target militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan; the Taliban government denies that militants are being harbored and accuses Pakistan of violating Afghanistan's sovereignty and causing civilian deaths.
The situation remains volatile, with UN and humanitarian actors calling for restraint, clear accountability for civilian harm, and measures to protect civilians amid ongoing operations.
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