New Delhi, Oct 2 (IANS): With Pakistan carrying out more aerial bombing inside Afghanistan, world leaders continue to condemn these attacks, urging an end to the killing of innocent Afghans and stressing that those responsible must be held accountable, say reports from Kabul.
UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan Richard Bennett has condemned the airstrikes, saying there is no justification for killing civilians and that those responsible must be held accountable, Pajhwok Afghan News reported on Friday, quoting his social media post.
“Accountability is paramount after another airstrike that has killed civilians, most of them children. Is this incompetence, negligence or worse? Whatever, there is no justification for doing such irreparable harm to civilians, and it appears to violate international human rights and humanitarian law,” he wrote on ‘X’.
He tagged a post from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) that confirmed: “At least 10 civilians were killed, most of them children, and 9 people injured in airstrikes carried out in #Afghanistan’s Kunar and Helmand provinces earlier today (Thursday)”.
In a separate ‘X’ post, former US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad, too, condemned Pakistan’s latest attacks on Afghanistan and called upon the country to stop the killing of innocent Afghans.
“Terrible news from #Afghanistan. Pakistani air strikes have once again killed civilians, including several children. As in the past, I strongly condemn these attacks. The killing of innocent Afghans must stop. #Pakistan,” he wrote on the day of the bombing.
Several governments, international organisations, and human rights groups have criticised or condemned the air raids, particularly following reports of civilian casualties.
In the latest incident early Thursday morning, the Pakistani military reportedly carried out airstrikes on “civilian homes in Kunar and Helmand provinces”, added the news reports.
Taliban administration’s spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that the bombing killed nine people, including women and children, while 11 others were wounded in the attacks, and three houses were also destroyed.
Tensions between the neighbours have deep historical origins, primarily from disputes over the Durand Line that the Raj drew to define British India’s border with Afghanistan.
Relations deteriorated after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, with Pakistan repeatedly accusing the Kabul regime of harbouring militants who carry out attacks across the border, particularly the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and ISIS–K.
Afghanistan insists that it does not shelter such elements and blamed Pakistan for holding it responsible for their internal problems.
The Pak-Afghan border has remained closed since October 2025 following cross-border violence causing significant economic losses, with increased prices of goods, restricted medical travel, and adversely affected livelihoods on both sides of the border.
It also strained diplomatic relations and encouraged businesses to seek alternative regional trade routes.
