Cross-border fighting between and has killed nearly 500 civilians in Afghanistan and wounded over 1,000 others between October and the end of June, the United Nations said Tuesday.
In a report on the human rights situation, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said it had documented 499 civilians killed and 1,216 wounded by the fighting between the neighbors that has defied international peace efforts.
In one case, the report said, civilians trying to rescue others from the rubble of an airstrike were hit by a second one.
The report also explores other human rights issues, including a deadly crackdown on protests in western Afghanistan over restrictions on women鈥檚 clothing, and decrees that essentially legalize child marriage.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants
Pakistan and Afghanistan have been fighting on and off for months. Tension , when Afghan forces launched a raid into Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan, and Islamabad declared it was in 鈥� .鈥�
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants who carry out deadly attacks that have killed thousands over the years in Pakistan, especially the , known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. The group is allied with the Afghan , which has ruled Afghanistan since it in 2021 amid the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led troops. Kabul denies the allegation.
In the deadliest attack of the fighting, a Pakistani airstrike hit a in the Afghan capital, Kabul, in March, killing hundreds of civilians. Rights group Amnesty International the bombing should be investigated as a possible war crime.
Pakistan has not given an overall figure for civilian casualties caused by the cross-border fighting in its territory. The U.N. mission, known by its acronym UNAMA, noted it is only mandated to monitor incidents in Afghanistan.
Pakistan denies targeting civilians
In a written response to UNAMA鈥檚 report, Pakistan鈥檚 Foreign Ministry said Afghanistan鈥檚 Taliban government 鈥渃ontinues to maintain a permissive environment for a range of (militant) organizations.鈥�
The response did not mention Afghan civilian casualties but said Pakistan鈥檚 military strikes “were directed exclusively at identified terrorist hideouts, sanctuaries, and support infrastructure linked to groups responsible for attacks inside Pakistan.鈥�
The hundreds of civilian casualties listed by UNAMA include 22 鈥� five of them children 鈥� who were killed in two successive airstrikes on a residential building in the eastern province of Paktia on June 28. At least 185 others were wounded.
Most of the deaths and injuries were caused by the second strike, when locals were trying to rescue the victims of the first one.
鈥淚nternational humanitarian law provides special protections for medical personnel and humanitarian workers, including first responders. Attacks against them while performing their duties are strictly prohibited,” said Fiona Frazer, director of human rights at UNAMA.
Afghan women still face harsh restrictions
UNAMA鈥檚 report also highlighted , who are subject to by Afghanistan鈥檚 Taliban government. They include a beyond primary school, a strict dress code, bans on working in nearly all professions and a requirement to be accompanied by a male relative when outside the home.
The report detailed a crackdown in the western city of Herat in June, where at least 30 women were arrested on allegations of dress code violations. and several others were injured when authorities during a rare protest against the detentions.
Rules governing women鈥檚 clothing stipulate they can only go out in public 鈥� which includes a headscarf and robe covering the entire body 鈥� as well as a face covering that leaves only the eyes visible. The regulations are policed by the feared Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
However, interpretations of the rules and what constitutes wearing the hijab correctly vary and can be arbitrarily enforced.
The UNAMA report said Vice and Virtue officials visited health clinics and shops in various parts of the country to advise them to refuse entry to women not accompanied by a male relative.
The report also said new rules on separation in marriage 鈥� ” by allowing for marriage contracts to be arranged for minors.
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