Pakistan Rejects Taliban Report on Civilian Casualties in Afghanistan

DID Press: Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, October 26, rejected a report by the Taliban administration on civilian casualties caused by Pakistani military strikes in Afghanistan, describing it as “baseless and unsupported by evidence.”

In a statement, the ministry said Pakistan’s military operations had targeted only militants and their logistical support facilities in Afghanistan, adding that the country’s response had been proportionate to the level of threat.

Earlier, the spokesperson for the Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs told CNN that Pakistani military attacks in Afghanistan had killed or wounded 1,119 Afghan civilians since late 2021.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry rejected the figures and accused the Afghan Taliban of providing shelter to armed groups, including Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and failing to prevent their activities.

The statement further claimed that attacks originating from Afghan territory had caused more than 3,500 casualties in 2026.

Pakistan maintained that its actions were based on its right to self-defence and were carried out in accordance with the principles of necessity, proportionality, distinction between military and civilian targets, and precautionary measures.

The Foreign Ministry called on the international community to hold the Taliban administration accountable for its international commitments. It also stressed that Pakistan reserved the right to take necessary measures to protect its national sovereignty, territorial integrity and the security of its citizens.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have faced growing tensions in recent years amid Islamabad’s concerns over cross-border attacks and mutual accusations concerning the activities of armed groups.