Kabul, February 24 – A leading human rights organization called for an independent, thorough, and impartial investigation on Tuesday, expressing concern over reports of civilian casualties in recent Pakistani airstrikes in the Nangarhar and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan.
In a statement, Amnesty International urged all parties involved in the hostilities to take necessary steps to prevent harm to civilians in accordance with their obligations under international law.
"Amnesty International is deeply concerned by the reports of civilian casualties caused by Pakistan's airstrike in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan on February 21 and 22. These reports of harm to civilians must be subjected to a thorough, independent, and impartial investigation," the statement read.
"This is not the first time civilians have borne the brunt of the use of force. Previously, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan attributed 70 civilian deaths and 478 injuries to Pakistani military forces between October and December 2025, when border tensions and clashes intensified between the Afghan Taliban forces and the Pakistani Military. Amnesty International reiterates its calls to all parties involved in the hostilities to take every necessary step to prevent harm to civilians in accordance with their obligations under international law," it added.
Earlier, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said that at least 13 people, including women and children, were killed in Pakistani airstrikes on Nangarhar and Paktika.
UNAMA stated that 13 people were killed and seven others were injured in Pakistani airstrikes in the Bahsud and Khogiani districts of Nangarhar on February 21-22, from 11:15 p.m. to 1:45 a.m., Khaama Press, Afghanistan's leading news agency, reported.
Two attacks targeting Paktika's Barmal district hit a school and a mosque, while a house was destroyed in Orgun district of Paktika.
UNAMA condemned Pakistan's airstrikes and urged all parties to cease hostilities and follow international humanitarian law so that civilians are not harmed. It demanded transparent investigations and accountability, and emphasized the need for protective measures for people in conflict-hit regions, Khaama Press reported.
On February 22, Afghanistan's Ministry of National Defence accused the Pakistani military regime of carrying out deadly airstrikes in various residential areas of the Nangarhar and Paktika provinces, resulting in the death of several civilians.
According to the Ministry, the strikes targeted a madrasa and multiple residential homes, killing and injuring "dozens of civilians," including women and children.
The violation of Afghan airspace comes amid what Kabul describes as repeated acts of Pakistani aggression.
Condemning the attack in the strongest possible terms, the Afghan Ministry called it a blatant violation of Afghanistan's national sovereignty and a clear breach of "international law, the principles of good neighbourliness, and Islamic values".
Afghanistan's Ministry of National Defence affirmed that safeguarding the country's sovereignty and the security of its people are both its "religious obligations and national duties," while warning that "an appropriate and measured response will be taken at a suitable time".
"Attacks against civilian populations and religious institutions stand as undeniable evidence of the intelligence and security failures of the Pakistani military, and such repeated acts of aggression will never be able to conceal their internal shortcomings," the Ministry said.
