Over 370 Afghan civilians killed in conflict with Pakistan between January to March: UNAMA

Kabul: At least 372 Afghan civilians have been killed and 397 injured between January 1 and March 31 this year due to cross-border violence between the Pakistani military and Afghan forces, the United Nations revealed on Tuesday.

The Human Rights Service of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented over 750 civilian deaths and injuries in Afghanistan because of cross-border armed violence between Afghanistan’s “de facto” security forces and Pakistani military. Most of these civilian casualties occurred as a result of airstrikes in February and March, the report noted.

According to the report, most of these civilian casualties occurred after Pakistan announced the start of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq on February 26, with over half attributed to the March 16 airstrikes by Pakistani military forces impacting the Omid Drug Rehabilitation Hospital in Kabul.

“Among the total civilian casualties were 72 women, 554 men, 48 girls and 95 boys. Up until the March 16 airstrike on the Omid Drug Rehabilitation Centre, women and children made up over half of civilian casualties recorded, however as the Omid Hospital housed only males, this breakdown changed after the incident,” the UNAMA update on Cross-border civilian casualties (January–March 2026) in Afghanistan stated.

Airstrikes caused 64 per cent of the civilian casualties while cross-border firing like mortars and artillery caused 34 per cent of the casualties, the report noted.

On March 16, at around 8.50 pm in Kabul city, airstrikes by Pakistani military forces impacted the Omid Drug Rehabilitation Hospital, a facility for the treatment of drug-affected individuals.

“Based on UNAMA’s visit to the site and discussions with eyewitnesses, three airstrikes impacted the facility, causing significant damage to its structures and killing at least 269 people (all male) and injuring a further 122 (including one woman). The vast majority of those killed and injured were patients of the hospital. The airstrikes occurred at the conclusion of tarawih evening prayers, when numerous patients were leaving the mosque.”

A temporary pause in operations was announced by Afghanistan and Pakistan on March 18.

According to the update, as of April 1, over 94,000 people were displaced in the border-adjacent areas due to the ongoing conflict; numerous houses, schools, and private businesses were also destroyed.

The report also recommended to the government of Pakistan to “ensure compliance with obligations under international humanitarian law, including the principles of precaution, distinction and proportionality, to protect civilians from harm.”

IANS