KABUL — At least 372 Afghan civilians were killed and 397 injured in cross-border violence between Taliban forces and the Pakistani military during the first three months of 2026, according to a quarterly report by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. The casualty total is higher than figures recorded by the mission, known as UNAMA, for the same period in any year since 2011.

More than half of the deaths were attributed to air raids on a drug rehabilitation facility in Kabul. At least 269 people were killed and 122 wounded in the March 17 strike, and many bodies were unrecognizable due to extensive burns.

UNAMA stated that its findings were based on checks with three independent sources. The report said, "The real figure may be significantly higher."

The casualties included 13 women, 46 children — 31 boys and 16 girls — and 313 men. Air strikes caused 64 percent of civilian casualties, with the remainder caused by indirect cross-border firing. UNAMA called on the warring parties to respect international law by refraining from targeting health facilities or firing shells or grenades into civilian areas.

Cross-border clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan have escalated since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Islamabad accuses the Taliban government in Kabul of sheltering armed fighters, including the Pakistan Taliban, known as the TTP, which is a separate group from the one that governs Afghanistan. At the end of February 2026, Pakistan's defense minister said the clashes had exploded into "open war." Pakistan said, "Actions were directed solely against terrorist and military infrastructure."

UNAMA also reported one targeted killing of an aid worker. A female Afghan employee of an NGO in Nuristan was killed on March 19 during the festival of Eid al-Fitr. She was shot in her right side, fell into the water, and drowned with her three-year-old son.

Since ceasefire talks in China in early April 2026, Pakistan and Afghanistan have committed to avoiding any escalation. Incidents have decreased but have not stopped entirely. On April 27, seven civilians were killed and 85 wounded in shelling at a university in Asadabad, in Kunar province.