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Pakistan's latest airstrikes in Afghanistan have added to its mounting civilian toll linked to its cross-border operations against its neighbour, with three people reportedly killed and several others wounded in Kunar, while strikes also hit Paktika province, Tolo News reported.
According to Tolo News, citing local sources, Pakistani fighter jets carried out airstrikes in several areas of Afghanistan early Monday morning. The Rakha and Torkandi areas of Barmal district in Paktika province were targeted in two separate strikes. One strike hit an empty house, while the other struck a former shop, causing damage but reportedly no casualties. Meanwhile, a separate Pakistani airstrike in Kunar province reportedly killed three people and injured several others, according to Tolo News. The latest reported strikes come amid a continuing campaign of cross-border Pakistani military action in Afghanistan, adding to the mounting civilian toll from repeated attacks across the border. In its update on the human rights situation in Afghanistan covering April to June 2026, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said that its Human Rights Service documented 399 civilian casualties--57 killed and 342 injured--between April 1 and June 30 as a result of cross-border armed violence. The casualties included 40 women, of whom six were killed, and 112 children, including 26 killed and 86 injured. UNAMA said airstrikes and ground engagements were the leading causes of civilian harm during the period. UNAMA said all cross-border civilian casualties it documented in Afghanistan during the April-June period were attributed to Pakistani security forces. It identified Paktya, Paktika and Kunar among the provinces that recorded the largest number of civilian casualties from airstrikes. UNAMA's report covering January to March 2026 also documented more than 750 civilian deaths and injuries in Afghanistan resulting from cross-border armed violence between Afghan security forces and Pakistani military forces. Most of those casualties occurred in February and March, according to the report. On Saturday, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghanistan has the right to defend its territory against any Pakistani military action, warning Islamabad of a crushing response if it carries out strikes inside Afghanistan. In an interview with Al Arabiya English, Mujahid rejected Pakistan's allegations that Afghan territory is being used by militant groups to recruit, train and launch attacks against Pakistan. If Pakistan invokes Article 51 to violate the sanctity of Afghan territory, Afghanistan has the right to defend its country, and we will do so, Mujahid said. Mujahid warned that any Pakistani military operation inside Afghanistan would amount to a violation of Afghan sovereignty and could trigger a strong response from Kabul. His remarks came in response to allegations made by a spokesperson for the Pakistani army in an earlier interview with Al Arabiya English. The Pakistani military official alleged that militant groups were using Afghan territory to recruit, train and arm fighters who subsequently carry out attacks inside Pakistan. The latest strikes have added to a mounting record of civilian harm attributed by UNAMA to Pakistani security forces, with the UN documenting hundreds of civilian casualties from cross-border violence in Afghanistan. The repeated reports of airstrikes affecting populated areas have continued to fuel concerns over the human cost of Pakistan's military operations across the Afghan border. (ANI)
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