Pakistan’s cross‑border war fuels civilian casualties and mass Afghan deportations

In February 2024 Pakistan launched Operation Ghazal lil‑Haq, an open‑war campaign against Afghan‑based militants of the Tehreek‑e‑Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The fighting has spread across the Durand Line, with Pakistani airstrikes and artillery hitting Afghan provinces such as Khost, Kunar and Nangarhar, while Afghan forces have struck Pakistani areas including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Punjab. Civilian casualties have risen sharply; the Taliban reports about 800 Afghan civilians killed, and a Pakistani strike on Kabul’s Omid Hospital in March killed over 400 people and injured more than 250, prompting accusations of potential war crimes.

Concurrently, Pakistan has intensified a large‑scale deportation campaign that began in October 2023. More than 5.4 million Afghans have been forced to leave, driven by security fears of cross‑border militancy and a deepening economic crisis that has seen soaring food and fuel prices and a depreciating rupee. In 2026 alone, over 146 000 Afghans were expelled. The mass expulsions have compounded the humanitarian strain, with tens of thousands displaced, heavy reliance on emergency food aid, and limited access for aid agencies due to ongoing conflict and border closures.