UN Under Fire For Not Naming Pakistan After Deadly Afghanistan Airstrikes

A United Nations statement on civilian casualties from recent airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan has sparked criticism after it documented deaths and injuries but did not initially identify the party responsible, despite Pakistan acknowledging it had conducted cross-border military operations.

According to the Afghan Taliban government, at least 13 civilians, including 11 children, were killed in airstrikes that struck Khost, Kunar and Paktika provinces on the night of June 9-10. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said one woman and one elderly man were also among the dead, while 14 women and children were injured. He accused Pakistan of violating Afghan airspace and targeting civilian homes.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said it had documented 13 civilian deaths and 10 injuries, mainly among women and children. However, its initial statement referred only to "airstrikes carried out" in eastern Afghanistan without naming Pakistan, prompting criticism from Afghan activists and commentators who accused the UN of avoiding attribution.

The controversy intensified because Pakistan subsequently confirmed carrying out military action across the border. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the operation was aimed at Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants and described the strikes as "precise and calibrated". Islamabad claimed 26 militants were killed and said the operation targeted militant hideouts, training centres and ammunition caches based on intelligence inputs.

The incident marks the third major Pakistani strike inside Afghanistan since October 2025 and has further strained relations between the neighbouring countries. Pakistan maintains that TTP militants operate from Afghan territory, a charge repeatedly denied by the Taliban administration.

The latest violence has renewed concerns over escalating cross-border hostilities along the volatile Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier.