In northwest Pakistan, families have also fled villages under mortar barrages, though exact numbers are unclear. The International Organization for Migration warned that further intensification could trigger a cascade of returns.
Fierce cross-border fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan has displaced nearly 66,000 people in eastern and southeastern Afghanistan, the United Nations warned on Wednesday, marking the seventh day of the worst violence in years along the disputed Durand Line. Heavy shelling, airstrikes, and artillery exchanges have claimed dozens of civilian lives, shattered homes, and crippled aid efforts, exacerbating one of the world’s most acute humanitarian crises.
The clashes, which erupted last week in response to Pakistani airstrikes in late February, have drawn urgent pleas from UN agencies for an immediate halt to hostilities. As families flee mortar fire and seek refuge in makeshift camps, international organizations highlight the mounting toll on already vulnerable communities strained by years of conflict, economic collapse, and mass returns from Pakistan.
Escalating Violence Claims Civilian Lives
The violence has intensified along the 2,640-kilometer (1,640-mile) Durand Line, the colonial-era border long contested by both nations. Afghanistan’s Taliban-led Defence Ministry reported that Pakistani forces launched deadly airstrikes on Afghan soil in late February, targeting alleged militant training camps. In retaliation, Afghan forces initiated a cross-border operation, claiming to have shot down a Pakistani drone and captured seven border posts on Wednesday.
Casualty figures paint a grim picture, though verification remains challenging amid the chaos. Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry stated that 110 civilians – including 65 women and children – have been killed and 123 wounded since the fighting began. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) corroborated a lower but still devastating toll, reporting at least 42 civilian deaths. Pakistan has not commented on Afghan civilian losses but claims more than 430 Afghan soldiers killed, while Kabul estimates around 150 Pakistani troop fatalities. Independent verification is elusive, with the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) noting limited access to affected areas.
Specific incidents underscore the human cost. In Nangarhar Province near the Torkham crossing – a vital trade artery – five civilians, including children, were injured by cross-border shelling, while two others were wounded in the Nazyan district. Further north in Kunar Province’s Sirkanay village, mortar fire has emptied entire communities. “Thousands of families have left the village,” said Asadullah, a 30-year-old labourer who remained to guard his home. “In some houses, only one person has stayed… The village has become empty.” Blasts echoed as far as Kabul, heightening fears of broader escalation.
Schools and markets in several border districts remain shuttered, trapping residents in a cycle of fear and isolation. In northwest Pakistan, families have also fled villages under mortar barrages, though exact numbers are unclear. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned that further intensification could trigger a cascade of returns, noting over five million Afghans have fled back from Pakistan in the past two years, overwhelming fragile host communities.
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens Amid Aid Disruptions
The displacement crisis has engulfed more than 46 districts across eastern, southern, and western Afghanistan, where pre-existing food insecurity was already severe. The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) reported that residents in these areas faced acute hunger even before the clashes, with the violence now suspending critical aid operations. Emergency food distributions, social protection programmes, school feeding initiatives, and livelihood support have been halted, impacting approximately 160,000 people.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, aid efforts in the north have been temporarily paused due to insecurity, though distributions continue in the south. OCHA emphasized that casualty figures “cannot yet be independently verified” because of restricted access, underscoring the dangers faced by humanitarian workers. “Civilians must be protected at all times, as well as civilian infrastructure,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stressed during a briefing in New York.
The IOM’s assessment is stark: “The ongoing military confrontation along the Durand Line has reportedly resulted in civilian casualties, damage to critical infrastructure, and the displacement of nearly 66,000 people in eastern and southeastern Afghanistan,” the agency stated. “These developments risk further displacement, accelerating returns, and exacerbating vulnerabilities in communities that are already overstretched and under-resourced.” In Nangarhar’s Momand Dara district, displaced families huddle in schools turned shelters, sharing stories of homes reduced to rubble by airstrikes.
This surge in returns compounds Afghanistan’s woes. Since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover, economic sanctions and drought have pushed millions toward the brink. The border clashes threaten to unravel fragile progress in repatriation programs, with IOM fearing a “returnee crisis” that could displace even more.
UN Urges Ceasefire
UNAMA reiterated its call on Tuesday for an immediate halt to the cross-border clashes, urging all parties to uphold international humanitarian law and prioritize civilian protection. “All parties must comply with their obligations under international law,” the mission stated, emphasizing the prohibition on targeting civilians or using disproportionate force.
Pakistan’s political adviser to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Rana Sanaullah, defended the airstrikes as necessary to neutralize “training centres” allegedly harbouring anti-Pakistan militants. “Most training centres have been eliminated,” Sanaullah said, adding that Islamabad seeks “verifiable evidence” that Afghan territory will not be used for attacks. Afghan officials, meanwhile, accuse Pakistan of unprovoked aggression, with no immediate dialogue in sight despite Kabul’s openness to talks post-strikes.
The UN’s broader appeal comes amid regional instability. Weeks of prior violence had already heightened tensions, with Pakistan linking the strikes to cross-border incursions by groups like the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Analysts warn that without de-escalation, the fighting could spill into urban centres or draw in regional powers.
Path to Peace Elusive as Communities Suffer
As the sun sets over the rugged borderlands, the human stories emerge from the shadows. In Kunar, elders recount nights of unrelenting shelling, children too traumatized to speak. Aid agencies scramble to reroute supplies, but the scale defies easy solutions. WFP’s suspension of programmes leaves families scavenging for scraps, while IOM teams document the exodus – tents sprouting like weeds in Nangarhar’s dusty plains.
International mediators, including the UN, push for backchannel talks, but mutual distrust lingers. For the displaced, survival is the only diplomacy they know. “We just want to go home,” one mother whispered in a Torkham shelter, clutching her infant amid the throng. As clashes ebb and flow, the Durand Line – a scar from a bygone empire – continues to bleed, testing the resilience of two nations bound by geography and haunted by history.
Image: Wikimedia
