UN says Pakistan-attributed air strikes killed 13 civilians in Afghanistan
The United Nations has said that air strikes attributed to Pakistan in Afghanistan’s Kunar, Khost and Paktika provinces earlier this week killed at least 13 civilians, including 11 children, one woman and one elderly man, and injured 14 others.
Speaking at the UN’s daily press briefing, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said the Afghan authorities in Afghanistan had reported multiple air strikes in the three provinces that allegedly struck civilian homes.
Haq called on all parties to uphold their obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law, stressing that civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times.
The UN official expressed concern over the reported civilian casualties and urged all sides to avoid actions that could further endanger civilian lives.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, in a statement, announced that it has summoned the Chargé d’Affaires of the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul and conveyed its “strong and firm” protest over the violation of Afghanistan’s airspace and the bombing of civilian homes.
According to the statement, Pakistan’s military regime once again blatantly violated Afghanistan’s airspace on Tuesday night and bombed civilian homes in parts of Khost, Paktika, and Kunar provinces.
