UN reports nearly 500 Afghan civilians killed in Pakistan‑Afghanistan cross‑border fighting

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented 499 civilian deaths and 1,216 injuries in Afghanistan between October and the end of June, caused by cross‑border clashes with Pakistan. The report cites a March airstrike that hit a drug‑treatment centre in Kabul, killing hundreds, and notes that civilians attempting to rescue victims were struck by a second bomb. It also highlights other human‑rights concerns, including a harsh crackdown on protests over women’s clothing and decrees that effectively legalise child marriage.

Pakistan says its strikes target terrorist hideouts linked to groups such as Tehreek‑e‑Taliban Pakistan, while Afghanistan’s Taliban government denies harboring militants. Amnesty International has called the Kabul bombing a possible war crime. Pakistan has not released its own civilian casualty figures.