Pakistani and Afghan troops clash as UN calls for ceasefire

KABUL — A United Nations agency in Afghanistan has expressed grave concern over ongoing cross-border clashes between Afghan and Pakistani security forces, urging all parties to immediately cease hostilities, fulfill their obligations under international humanitarian law, and avoid further harm to civilians.

A statement issued on Tuesday said that from late Feb 26 to March 2, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan recorded at least 42 civilian deaths and 104 others injured in Afghanistan, including women and children.

UNAMA said the continued hostilities have severely restricted movement, making it difficult for humanitarian organizations to access the worst-affected areas.

UNAMA called on all parties to resolve their differences through dialogue, ensure the protection of civilian lives, and create a safe and unhindered environment for humanitarian assistance.

The two countries have clashed along their shared frontier since Thursday, when Afghanistan launched a border offensive in retaliation for Pakistan's airstrikes.

On Tuesday, Islamabad said Kabul launched attacks on two sections along the border.

It said 16 locations were attacked along the southern part of the border, in three southwestern districts.

Pakistani troops killed 27 members of the Afghan forces there and "successfully repelled these multiple attacks", Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said.

Continued conflict

Tarar said on X that another wave of attacks hit 25 locations along the northern part of the border, in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where Pakistani troops killed 40 members of the Afghan security forces.

The spokesman said one Pakistani soldier was killed, but did not provide details as to where.

In Kabul, defense ministry spokesman Enayatullah Khawarazmi slammed Islamabad's statements as "baseless."

Pakistan has hit back along the border and with fresh airstrikes, bombing multiple sites including the former US air base at Bagram, the capital Kabul and the southern city of Kandahar.

The violence has triggered "displacement of approximately 20,000 families" across multiple provinces, the UN World Food Programme said.

"Approximately 160,000 people have been impacted by the suspension of emergency food distributions," the WFP added, with people in multiple areas already experiencing acute malnutrition.

In Kunar Province, a laborer told AFP that the violence had prevented people from getting to the market.

"Thousands of families have left the village" of Sirkanay, said Asadullah, who only gave one name.

"In some houses, only one person has stayed to guard the home, and the rest have left. The village has become empty," the 30-year-old added.

"Acute malnutrition among children is soaring. Last year we saw the highest surge ever recorded in Afghanistan, and this year, a staggering 3.7 million children will need malnutrition treatment," the World Food Programme's Country Director John Aylieff told a Geneva news briefing.

Some 200,000 additional children face acute malnutrition this year, he added.

Xinhua - Agencies