Introduction
This report has been prepared on the basis of field evidence, victims’ testimonies, and information obtained from local sources. Its principal aims are to examine the human and legal consequences of Pakistan’s military attacks on the lives of civilians in Afghanistan, to give voice to survivors, to strengthen accountability, and to raise public awareness. The report covers documented violations of international humanitarian law arising from Pakistan’s military attacks between 1 December 2024 and the end of June 2026, and does not include events outside this period.
Based on the findings of this research and the evidence gathered, Pakistani military forces carried out numerous attacks during this period in the provinces of Khost, Paktia, Paktika, Nuristan, Nangarhar, Kandahar, Helmand and Kabul, as a result of which at least 1187 civilians were killed or injured, more than 29,000 families were displaced, and hundreds of residential homes, health facilities, schools, mosques and other civilian facilities and infrastructure were completely or partially destroyed.
In addition, an attack by Pakistan’s air force on a drug treatment and rehabilitation centre in Kabul killed and injured at least 300 patients and staff members — an act which, according to the findings of this research, constituted a clear violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law and may amount to a war crime.
Furthermore, the information gathered shows that Pakistani military forces completely blocked, for more than two months — from 1 February to 14 April 2026 — the only road connecting the districts of Kamdesh and Bargi Matal in Nuristan province with the provincial centre and with Kunar and Nangarhar provinces. This measure effectively placed the two districts in dire conditions and created serious obstacles to residents’ access to food, health services and other basic necessities.
The evidence gathered also shows that the effects of the Pakistani military’s attacks have not been limited to human casualties and material losses: they have left deep psychological, social and economic consequences for survivors, their families and local communities. Persistent fear, the loss of any sense of safety, disruption of children’s education, deepening poverty and displacement are among the recurring themes highlighted in the accounts of most of those interviewed for this research. These patterns show that the consequences of the conflict continue to cast a shadow over civilians’ lives even after the attacks, seriously hindering their return to normal life.
Background
In recent years, the border areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan have repeatedly witnessed security tensions and armed clashes. These tensions have intensified in particular since late 2024, coinciding with an increase in armed attacks by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) against Pakistan’s military and security forces. The Pakistani government has repeatedly accused the Taliban in Afghanistan of supporting the TTP, claiming that members of the group are present inside Afghan territory — particularly along the Durand Line — and organize and carry out their attacks against Pakistan from there. Taliban officials have rejected these claims. The TTP has formally claimed responsibility for attacks on Pakistani forces on numerous occasions during this period.
Following the escalation of these tensions, Pakistani forces have on many occasions carried out attacks inside Afghan territory under the banner of counter-terrorism operations, while Taliban forces have in turn targeted Pakistani positions along the Durand Line and inside Pakistan itself. Fighting between the two sides has intensified, particularly since late 2024, and was still continuing at the time this report was prepared.
The attacks examined in this report are not confined to a single event or a specific area; during the period under review, they were repeated across several provinces in Afghanistan, in the form of air, ground and combined attacks. A considerable share of these attacks occurred in residential areas and villages along the Durand Line — areas that are home to thousands of civilian families and that contain not only residential homes but also schools, health centres, mosques and other public facilities.
Reports published by media outlets, human rights organizations and other sources indicate that the Pakistani military’s attacks in Afghanistan have had far-reaching consequences for civilians, with a considerable number of civilians killed and injured during this period. Residential homes and some public and service facilities have been damaged or completely destroyed. Moreover, large numbers of families have been forced to abandon their homes as a result of the violence and insecurity caused by Pakistan’s attacks.
Given the nature of the armed clashes between Taliban forces and Pakistani military forces — involving reciprocal attacks by both sides on each other’s territory — the current situation qualifies, from the perspective of international humanitarian law, as an international armed conflict. Accordingly, the human consequences of Pakistan’s military attacks have been examined in light of the fundamental rules and principles of international humanitarian law, in particular the rules governing international armed conflicts.
Research Methodology
This report is based on field research and interviews with survivors, eyewitnesses and other local sources, covering events from 1 December 2024 to the end of June 2026. The scope of the research is limited solely to documenting and assessing violations of international humanitarian law arising from Pakistan’s military attacks on Afghan territory. Events or possible violations of international humanitarian law occurring on Pakistani territory are not covered by this report, owing to restricted access to the necessary sources and information.
The documentation process and the interviews with survivors, eyewitnesses and other local sources were carried out between 1 October 2025 and 21 June 2026, and the information obtained was analysed using a mixed qualitative and quantitative approach.
In the course of this research, online interviews were conducted with 22 men, including survivors and members of their families, eyewitnesses, health workers, local elders and other relevant sources. Interviewees were selected from provinces that experienced armed attacks by Pakistani forces during the period in question. Some interviewees were identified by the Rawadari’s research team and monitors, while others were referred by earlier interviewees.
The interviews were conducted by a team of Rawadari researchers using a uniform, semi-structured questionnaire in Pashto and Dari, with each interview lasting between 1.5 and two hours. Before each interview began, the researchers explained the objectives of the research, the security measures, and the way the information would be stored and used. Researchers also obtained informed verbal consent from the interviewees.
Rawadari’s team documented statistics on human casualties, the destruction of residential homes, public facilities and civilian infrastructure, forced displacement and other forms of harm inflicted on civilians in the provinces of Khost, Paktika, Paktia, Nangarhar, Nuristan, Kandahar, Helmand and Kabul in the period of 1 October 2025 and 30 June 2026. This information was obtained from hospitals, local councils, government bodies and non-governmental organizations, as well as through interviews with local sources, eyewitnesses and victims’ families.
To verify the information relating to the violations of international humanitarian law reflected in this report, Rawadari’s team used supplementary evidence, including photographs, videos, hospital and clinic records, and reports published by media outlets and human rights organizations. Of all the cases reported, only those confirmed by at least two independent sources were included in the final figures. Events that could not be verified — because of access restrictions or insufficient evidence — were excluded from the final figures.
In addition, Rawadari’s team coded and analysed the data from interviews according to the main themes of the research and cross-checked it against data from other sources.
Research Limitations
The majority of the civilians harmed by Pakistan’s military attacks during the period under review were residents of Afghanistan’s villages and remote areas, who either lacked regular and adequate access to internet services or were unfamiliar with online interview platforms. As a result, Rawadari was unable to reach more interviewees in these areas. Furthermore, a number of survivors and eyewitnesses declined to take part in interviews out of security concerns, while others were unwilling to speak owing to a lack of trust in justice mechanisms and human rights organizations.
Moreover, some of the survivors approached by Rawadari’s researchers regarded providing information and taking part in documentation processes as having no practical benefit for their daily lives, pointing instead to material and livelihood assistance as their principal needs — a reality that reflects the gap between victims’ immediate needs and the long-term nature of accountability processes.
Continued insecurity and armed clashes, combined with the severe restrictions imposed by the Taliban on access to information, were among the other challenges and limitations affecting the documentation and information-gathering process for this report. Direct access to certain areas was impossible because of the ongoing fighting, additionally, the Taliban have banned any activity related to monitoring and documenting human rights violations — a situation that created serious obstacles for collecting and verifying information.
In view of the limitations described above, the true scale of the consequences and effects of Pakistan’s military attacks on the lives of civilians in the reporting period — and the actual number of violations of international humanitarian law — is likely greater than what has been documented in this report.
