UNAMA: Border Clashes Killed at Least 70 Civilians in Afghanistan in Late 2025
UNAMA: Border Clashes Killed at Least 70 Civilians in Afghanistan in Late 2025
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At least 70 civilians were killed and 478 injured in Afghanistan during the final three months of 2025 due to cross-border clashes between Taliban forces and Pakistan’s military, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a report released Sunday.
According to Amu TV citing UNAMA, the majority of casualties occurred during a sharp escalation in fighting between Oct. 10 and Oct. 17, which alone resulted in more than 500 civilian casualties, including 47 deaths and 456 injuries. The UN mission noted that while it has documented civilian harm from cross-border incidents since 2011, the figures recorded between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, 2025, far exceeded totals seen in previous years.
The clashes involved artillery fire, mortars and aerial attacks across several border provinces, including Kandahar, Khost, Paktika, Kunar, Paktya and Helmand. UNAMA said residential areas were repeatedly hit, damaging homes and killing entire families.
The deadliest day was Oct. 15, when UNAMA recorded 457 civilian casualties in a single day, nearly 90 percent of them in Kandahar’s Spin Boldak district. Airstrikes and heavy weapons fire there killed at least 35 people and injured 422 others, many of them women and children. The youngest victim was reported to be three months old.
The report also documented explosions in Kabul on the same day that killed at least nine civilians, as well as gunfire in Khost province that killed a journalist covering the clashes. Civilian casualties continued even after a ceasefire was announced on Oct. 15.
UNAMA said the violence caused widespread displacement, long-term injuries and psychological trauma. The Taliban administration described the findings as “close to reality,” while Pakistan has not publicly responded to the report.
