Pakistani security forces killed 57 people and injured 342 others in cross-border attacks inside Afghanistan between 1 April and 30 June 2025, according to a report released on Tuesday, 28 July by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). The agency attributed all cross-border civilian casualties recorded during this period exclusively to Pakistani security forces, with airstrikes and ground engagements identified as the primary causes of harm.

Scale of Civilian Casualties

Among those affected, the toll on the most vulnerable was stark. UNAMA's quarterly update documented 112 children as casualties — 26 killed and 86 injured — alongside 40 women, of whom six were killed and 34 injured. These figures underscore the disproportionate impact of the cross-border violence on non-combatants.

According to UNAMA, 'The largest number of civilian casualties were caused by airstrikes carried out by Pakistani security forces in Paktia, Paktika and Kunar provinces on 28 June, followed by shelling in Kunar province between 27 and 29 April.'

Escalating Pakistan-Afghanistan Tensions

The casualty data arrives against a backdrop of sharply deteriorating relations between Islamabad and Kabul. Tensions have mounted over recent months, marked by repeated exchanges of fire and growing international alarm over civilian harm. This is not an isolated episode — cross-border skirmishes between the two neighbours have persisted since the Taliban's return to power in 2021, but the frequency and lethality of incidents appear to have intensified through the second quarter of 2025.

Human Rights Watch Calls for War Crimes Probe

On 15 July, US-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW) called for an impartial investigation into possible war crimes following Pakistan's recent strikes inside Afghanistan. The organisation expressed grave concern over the civilian death toll, noting that while civilian casualties alone are not conclusive proof of laws-of-war violations, such reports heighten the urgent need for independent scrutiny.

HRW stated: 'International humanitarian law requires warring parties to take all feasible precautions to minimise civilian harm. Attacking forces must at all times distinguish between civilians and civilian objects on the one hand, and combatants and military objectives on the other, and only target the latter.'

The group added: 'Defending forces must, to the extent feasible, protect civilians under their control from the effects of attack, including by avoiding locating military objectives near densely populated areas. However, violations by one side do not relieve the other of its own obligations.'

What Happens Next

UNAMA's report is expected to intensify pressure on both Pakistan and the Taliban administration to engage with international monitoring mechanisms. With HRW's call for a war crimes investigation now on record, the question of accountability — and whether any independent probe can be mounted given the Taliban's limited international recognition — will define the next phase of this crisis.