The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan reported that cross-border fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan killed 499 civilians in Afghanistan and wounded 1,216 others between October and the end of June. This period of violence included a declaration of open war by Islamabad and multiple airstrikes that struck residential and medical sites.

Pakistan declared it was in open war following the escalation in February. In response to Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan, Afghan forces launched a raid into Pakistan in February.

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants, including Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, who carry out deadly attacks in Pakistan. In a written response, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry stated that Afghanistan’s Taliban government continues to maintain a permissive environment for a range of militant organizations. Kabul denies the allegation that it harbors militants.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry stated that its military strikes were directed exclusively at identified terrorist hideouts, sanctuaries, and support infrastructure linked to groups responsible for attacks inside Pakistan. Despite this assertion, several incidents documented by the United Nations involved significant civilian casualties at non-military locations.

A Pakistani airstrike hit a drug treatment center in Kabul in March, killing hundreds of civilians. Amnesty International stated that the bombing of the drug treatment center should be investigated as a possible war crime.

Fiona Frazer, director of human rights at UNAMA, emphasized the legal standards governing such incidents. She said international humanitarian law provides special protections for medical personnel and humanitarian workers, including first responders, and that attacks against them while performing their duties are strictly prohibited.

Violence continued into the summer with specific incidents causing high casualties among those attempting to help victims. Two successive airstrikes on a residential building in Paktia province on June 28 killed 22 civilians, including five children, and wounded at least 185 others. Most of the deaths and injuries in the Paktia airstrikes were caused by the second strike, which hit locals trying to rescue victims of the first strike. In one incident, civilians attempting to rescue victims from the rubble of an airstrike were killed by a second airstrike.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan report also showed restrictions on women in Afghanistan, including a ban on education 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 Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice polices the regulations on women’s clothing. Officials from the ministry visited health clinics and shops to advise them to refuse entry to women not accompanied by a male relative.

Rules governing women’s clothing in Afghanistan stipulate they must wear a full hijab, including a headscarf and robe covering the entire body, and a face covering that leaves only the eyes visible. At least 30 women were arrested in Herat in June on allegations of dress code violations. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan report stated that new rules on separation in marriage implicitly sanction child marriage by allowing marriage contracts to be arranged for minors.

The cross-border fighting has resulted in significant civilian casualties, including incidents where rescuers were targeted, raising serious humanitarian concerns. The scale of the violence, with nearly 500 deaths and over 1,200 wounded in nine months, marks a sharp escalation in hostilities between the two neighbors. The targeting of medical facilities and first responders draws attention to potential violations of international humanitarian law, as showed by Amnesty International's call for a war crimes investigation into the Kabul bombing.

The conflict is rooted in mutual accusations regarding militant sanctuaries, with Pakistan maintaining a state of open war and Afghanistan denying it harbors attackers. The humanitarian impact extends beyond the border clashes, as the United Nations report connects the instability to broader human rights issues within Afghanistan, including severe restrictions on women's movement, education, and employment. The combination of external military pressure and internal social controls creates a complex crisis for the civilian population.