P.O.Box 21375, Washington, D.C. 20009

Russia Voices Concern Over Afghanistan-Pakistan Fighting as UN Confirms Civilian Deaths

October 3, 2026
Khaama Press

Russia has expressed deep concern over renewed military clashes between the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan and Pakistan, warning that the fighting is affecting civilians, particularly children.

The Russian Embassy in Kabul said Saturday that it was concerned about the continuation of the military confrontation between the two neighboring countries. The statement came after Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan’s Kunar and Helmand provinces earlier this week.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) confirmed that at least 10 civilians were killed in the strikes, most of them children, while nine others were injured. UNAMA called for de-escalation and dialogue and urged the parties to respect international law and prevent further civilian harm.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban authorities, said the Pakistani strikes hit residential areas and killed nine civilians, including women and children, while injuring 11 others. Reuters reported that the strikes hit three houses in Kunar and Helmand.

Pakistan, however, gave a different account of the operation. Its Ministry of Information said the strikes were based on “credible intelligence” and targeted militant hideouts, claiming that 22 militants were killed and large quantities of weapons and ammunition were destroyed. The claims by the two sides have not been independently reconciled.

The Russian statement did not condemn Pakistan’s airstrikes outright but called for an end to the military confrontation. Russia has maintained diplomatic relations with the Taliban authorities, which Moscow formally recognized in July 2025.

The European Union has also expressed concern over the civilian casualties from the strikes and called on Afghanistan and Pakistan to exercise restraint and resolve their differences through dialogue.

The latest strikes mark another escalation in already strained relations between Kabul and Islamabad. Pakistan accuses the Taliban authorities of allowing armed groups, particularly the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), to operate from Afghanistan territory and launch attacks into Pakistan. Kabul denies the allegation and says it does not allow Afghanistan territory to be used against other countries.

UNAMA said last week that it had documented more than 1,100 civilian deaths and injuries in Afghanistan from cross-border armed violence since the beginning of 2026, underscoring the growing humanitarian cost of the confrontation.

Russia Voices Concern Over Afghanistan-Pakistan Fighting as UN Confirms Civilian Deaths
read more

Kabul Responds to Ishaq Dar: Afghanistan Won’t Allow Its Soil to Be Used

October 3, 2026
TOLOnews
3 September 2026

The ministry’s head of public relations told TOLOnews that Pakistan is seeking, through such claims, to shape international perceptions of Afghanistan.

Following Pakistan’s airstrikes on Kunar and Helmand, which according to the United Nations killed 10 civilians, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister said at a meeting in Islamabad that his country wants Afghanistan’s progress, prosperity and economic growth and considers itself a “well-wisher” of Afghanistan.

Reiterating Pakistan’s previous claims, he called on Afghanistan not to allow its territory to be used to carry out attacks against other countries, particularly Pakistan.

Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, said: “In return, what does Pakistan expect? What have we told them? That they should not allow their territory to be used for terrorism against any country. Particularly when it comes to Pakistan, we will not tolerate this.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate rejected the Pakistani foreign minister’s claims, saying Afghanistan will never allow its territory to be used against others.

The ministry’s head of public relations told TOLOnews that Pakistan is seeking, through such claims, to shape international perceptions of Afghanistan.

Zia Ahmad Takal, head of public relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: “The policy of the Islamic Emirate is that no one can use Afghan territory against any country in the world, including Pakistan. Therefore, we reject these claims. This is an attempt to evade responsibility and to create a different perception in the minds of the international community.”

Meanwhile, the Coordination Council of Diplomatic and Consular Missions of Afghanistan’s former government condemned Pakistan’s recent airstrikes in Afghanistan in a statement, describing them as a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty and a clear breach of international humanitarian law.

The council called on the United Nations and the international community to take necessary measures to protect civilians, particularly women and children, and prevent further harm.

This comes as the United Nations and the European Union yesterday called for de-escalation and urged the two countries to resolve their differences through dialogue.

Kabul Responds to Ishaq Dar: Afghanistan Won’t Allow Its Soil to Be Used
read more

UN Rights Rapporteur Calls for Accountability Over Airstrikes in Kunar, Helmand

October 2, 2026
Khaama Press

Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, has called for accountability after airstrikes in Kunar and Helmand provinces killed civilians, most of them children.

Bennett said in a post on X on Thursday, October 1, that Pakistani military forces had carried out the airstrikes the previous night, causing civilian casualties. He questioned whether the incident resulted from “incompetence, negligence, or something worse.”

“Whatever the case, there is no justification for causing such irreparable harm to civilians,” Bennett said, adding that the attacks appeared to violate international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) confirmed that at least 10 civilians were killed and nine others injured in the airstrikes in Kunar and Helmand, with most of those killed being children. The UN mission called for de-escalation, dialogue, respect for international law and measures to prevent further civilian harm.

The Taliban government had earlier reported that nine people, including women and children, were killed and 11 others injured. Its spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said three houses were destroyed in the strikes.

Pakistan said its forces had targeted militant hideouts at two locations based on what it described as “credible intelligence,” claiming that 22 militants were killed and weapons and ammunition were destroyed. The conflicting casualty figures could not be independently verified.

UN Rights Rapporteur Calls for Accountability Over Airstrikes in Kunar, Helmand
read more

Meeting on Afghanistan and Path to Peace Held in Islamabad

October 2, 2026
By Hadia Ziaei
Tolo News
1 October 2026

Analysts described Moscow’s role in supporting and cooperating with Afghanistan at such meetings as important.

A meeting titled “Afghan Predicament and the Trajectory to Peace” was held in Islamabad with the participation of representatives from several neighboring countries.

Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special representative for Afghanistan, attended the meeting online and said Russia wants to see a peaceful Afghanistan living in harmony with all its neighbors. He added that Russia is making efforts to support Afghans in achieving economic self-sufficiency.

Kabulov said: “We want to see Afghanistan as a peaceful country that lives in harmony with all its neighbors, and we are making every effort to support Afghans so that, first and foremost, they can achieve economic self-sufficiency.”

Bakhtiyor Ahmadzoda, deputy speaker of Tajikistan’s lower house of parliament and a member of its committee on agriculture, water and land resources, said: “Afghanistan is an integral part of the regional landscape, and its peace, stability and sustainable development are directly linked to the security and prosperity of neighboring countries and the region as a whole. Distinguished participants, we believe that lasting peace cannot be achieved through security measures alone.”

Analysts described Moscow’s role in supporting and cooperating with Afghanistan at such meetings as important.

Aziz Maarij, a former diplomat, said: “If cooperation has a practical dimension and countries work together, it can contribute to the development of the entire region. Countries in the region understand that they need one another in areas such as transit, good-neighborly relations, security and trade.”

Abdul Hasib Safi, an economic analyst, said: “Russia has certain resources and capabilities that Afghanistan does not have, and Afghanistan can benefit from them. Likewise, Afghanistan has certain resources that Russia needs. We can exchange these resources and promote economic growth.”

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has not recently commented on the meeting, but it has previously said that Kabul seeks good relations with all countries.

Meeting on Afghanistan and Path to Peace Held in Islamabad
read more

UN Calls for De-escalation Amid Afghanistan-Pakistan Tensions

October 2, 2026
TOLOnews
TV Network
2 October 2026

Stéphane Dujarric has once again called for de-escalation, dialogue, and respect for international law to prevent further harm to civilians.

The spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General says that continued tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan continue to put civilians at risk.

Stéphane Dujarric has once again called for de-escalation, dialogue, and respect for international law to prevent further harm to civilians.

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said: “The United Nations has called for de-escalation, dialogue, and respect for international law to prevent further harm to civilians. It is clear that civilians there must be protected, just as they must be protected everywhere.”

The European Union has also expressed regret over the airstrikes in Kunar and Helmand and called on Pakistan and Afghanistan to exercise restraint and engage in dialogue to resolve tensions.

The European Union said in a statement: “We regret the loss of civilian lives following airstrikes in Kunar and Helmand. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has confirmed that at least 10 civilians were killed, most of them children, and nine others were injured. We call on both sides to exercise restraint and engage in dialogue. Afghanistan’s de facto authorities must take effective measures against terrorist groups operating within or from Afghan territory.”

Meanwhile, Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, described Pakistan’s attacks as a clear violation of human rights and international law and stressed the need for accountability.

Zalmay Khalilzad, former US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, has also called for an end to the killing of innocent Afghans.

Khalilzad said: “Very sad news from Afghanistan. Pakistani airstrikes have once again killed civilians, including several children. As before, I strongly condemn these attacks. The killing of innocent Afghans must stop.”

Zamir Kabulov, the Russian President’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, says tensions between Kabul and Islamabad will be discussed at the eighth meeting of the Moscow Format on Afghanistan.

He told the newspaper Izvestia that Russia is ready to use the Moscow platform to bring the two sides closer and help them reach “reasonable compromises.”

Izvestia quoted Kabulov as saying: “Of course, this issue will be raised, and we will be glad to use the Moscow platform to bring the two sides involved closer to some reasonable compromises.”

This is the third time in less than two weeks that Pakistan’s military has carried out airstrikes in the middle of the night.

While Pakistan claimed yesterday that it had targeted two hideouts in Afghanistan, UNAMA confirmed in a statement that 10 civilians were killed and nine others were injured as a result of the airstrikes in Kunar and Helmand.

UN Calls for De-escalation Amid Afghanistan-Pakistan Tensions
read more

Kandahar governor denies hosting militant leaders’ talks on attacks in Pakistan

October 2, 2026

By Abdul Qahar Afghan and Elena Becatoros | AP

October 2, 2026 

KABUL, Afghanistan — The governor of Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province on Friday denied a claim by Pakistan that he had hosted senior militant figures for talks on escalating attacks inside Pakistan.

The office of the governor, Mohammad Shirin Akhund, dismissed the claim made on Thursday by Pakistani army spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif as “propaganda.”

“Pakistani military circles are attempting, through these baseless claims, to justify the killing of civilians in Afghanistan and their own other crimes,” the governor’s office said.

Sharif alleged at a televised news conference on Thursday that members of several militant groups had met in Kandahar on Aug. 26.

He said the meeting was attended by members of the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, an ethnic separatist group fighting for an independent Balochistan; al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent, or AQIS, the global militant network’s South Asian affiliate; and the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, an independent Pakistani Islamist militant network rooted in North Waziristan.

Sharif did not explain how Pakistani authorities learned of the alleged gathering or present evidence to support the claim.

His remarks came hours after Pakistan said it had carried out airstrikes in two Afghan provinces . Afghan officials and the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan said the strikes in Helmand and Kunar provinces had killed at least 10 civilians, most of them children.

Richard Bennett, United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, said the strikes appeared to violate international human rights and humanitarian law.

“Accountability is paramount after another airstrike that has killed civilians, most of them children,” Bennett posted on X. “Is this incompetence, negligence or worse? Whatever, there is no justification for doing such irreparable harm to civilians and it appears to violate international human rights and humanitarian law.”

Cross-border fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan has continued for months despite international mediation efforts. Pakistan has carried out airstrikes across several Afghan provinces, including in the capital Kabul, while Afghan fighters have carried out cross-border raids into Pakistan.

Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of sheltering militants responsible for cross-border attacks, particularly the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP. The TTP is separate from but allied with the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 and have ruled the country since.

Pakistan has faced a surge in militant violence, much of it blamed on the TTP and Baloch separatists. Balochistan has endured a long-running insurgency by groups that accuse Pakistan of discriminating against the province and exploiting its natural resources.

Kandahar governor denies hosting militant leaders’ talks on attacks in Pakistan
read more

Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan kill 10 civilians, Kabul and UN say

October 2, 2026
By ABDUL QAHAR AFGHAN and ELENA BECATOROS
Associated Press
October 1, 2026

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Pakistani airstrikes on two Afghan provinces overnight killed at least 10 civilians, Afghanistan and the United Nations said Thursday, with the cross-border conflict between the two countries showing no signs of abating.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information said its strikes were against militant hideouts in two locations and that initial reports suggested 22 militants had been killed. It did not immediately comment on the reports of civilian casualties. Its claim of militants killed could not immediately be independently verified.

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan confirmed that at least 10 civilians, most of them children, were killed in the strikes on the southern province of Helmand and the eastern province of Kunar. It said nine people were injured in the airstrikes.

The strikes come amid repeated cross-border clashes between the two countries, while Pakistan has repeatedly carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan since tensions between the two countries spiraled dramatically earlier this year. The two neighbors have longstanding disputes over militant activity along their border.

“Civilians continue to be affected by cross-border hostilities. UNAMA reiterates its call for de-escalation, dialogue, respect for international law and prevention of further civilian harm,” the U.N. mission said in a statement.

Last week, UNAMA said it had documented over 1,100 civilian deaths and injuries in Afghanistan from cross-border violence so far this year. Pakistan denies striking civilians and says it targets militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan. Afghanistan denies harboring militants.

The spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Taliban government, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the airstrikes destroyed three civilian homes.

“We condemn this act and consider this an act of aggression and a crime that violates all universally accepted principles,” he said.

Mohammad Hashim, a 30-year-old resident of the village that was bombed in Kunar province, said the strike occurred at around 3 a.m.

“I heard a woman calling out, asking for the stones to be moved off her; she was trapped underneath,” he said. “We pulled her out, she was injured.” He said that digging through the rubble, he also found the bodies of two men and four children.

Another local resident, 32-year-old Mohammad Habib, said one of those killed was a shepherd who was not affiliated with any militant or government groups.

“He was a very poor and humble man. He would let his goats out in the morning without anyone even herding them, and they would go out in the morning and return home in the evening, and (Pakistan) martyred him,” he said.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information said the airstrikes were “well planned and calibrated” against militant hideouts and camps, and had “been carried out in Afghanistan with precision and accuracy.” It added that large quantities of weapons and ammunition were located in the hideouts and were destroyed.

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of allowing militants, particularly the Pakistani Taliban — formally known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP — to operate from Afghan territory and carry out attacks inside Pakistan. The TTP is separate from but allied with the Afghan Taliban, who have ruled Afghanistan since seizing power in 2021. Kabul denies providing the group a safe haven and has rejected Pakistan’s accusations.

“The threat to Pakistan emanates from Afghanistan,” Pakistan’s ministry said. “Our action precisely targeted the terrorist hubs.”

“Maximum precautions were taken and it was ensured that no collateral damage occurs,” the statement said and added that its campaign “will continue at full pace to wipe out” the threat of militants from the country.

Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.

 

Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan kill 10 civilians, Kabul and UN say
read more

American University of Afghanistan at Risk of Closure Amid Funding Cuts

October 2, 2026

Elian Peltier is the bureau chief for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Yaqoob Akbary and Safiullah Padshah reported from Kabul.

The New York Times

Oct. 2, 2026

The American University of Afghanistan, one of the most potent symbols of the United States’ decades in the country, has lost its State Department funding, putting the education of hundreds of Afghan women at risk, the school’s president said.

The State Department on Tuesday denied the university’s application for $25 million in funding for the next two years, according to David Edwards, a professor and the interim president of the university. As a condition of remaining open, it must partner with the American University of Central Asia, based in Kyrgyzstan.

Professor Edwards said he would work with the university in Kyrgyzstan, even though that campus does not offer remote instruction, the only way women in Afghanistan can receive higher education. The American University of Afghanistan serves about 1,000 students, all online, three-quarters of whom are women. About 90 percent of the students are in Afghanistan, with teachers in the country and abroad.

“We are the only venue for education for a whole generation of Afghans, and this point seems to be lost on the current administration,” Professor Edwards said.

The university faced allegations of mismanagement in 2019, under previous leadership, when U.S. officials said that more than $60 million had gone missing.

Professor Edwards said the university had addressed those issues, and that all of its audits have been clean since 2021.

The State Department described the university as a “private entity.” It said the United States remained dedicated to supporting Afghan women and girls’ education through remote education programs. “We are currently working to identify implementing partners who can responsibly administer these programs,” it said.

An anthropology professor who assumed the university’s interim leadership in March, Professor Edwards visited British and German universities this summer to seek alternative funding and said he didn’t know how the university would finance the next semester.

When the Taliban overthrew the U.S.-backed Afghan government in 2021, the university’s foreign staff were evacuated and some students fled to Iraq, the United States and other countries. Others remained in Afghanistan but went into hiding. The Taliban had condemned the university, calling it a place where Americans tried to corrupt the minds of Muslims.

A large chunk of U.S.A.I.D. funds had gone into building the university campus in the heart of Kabul. But the Taliban seized it and established their own institution there, the Afghan International Islamic University, where 1,000 students now study Islamic law, engineering, medicine and other subjects.

All of them are men.

More than 2.6 million Afghan girls and women have been barred from formal education beyond sixth grade under the Taliban, according to UNESCO. Some study in secret schools that the Taliban tolerate but can close at any time.

The university suspended operations for one semester last year after the Trump administration announced the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. It also closed a satellite campus in Qatar. This year, it laid off more than 40 employees and downsized admissions because of funding cuts, Professor Edwards said.

With the university’s future in doubt, students say they may lose their best opportunity to study in Afghanistan under the current Taliban government.

Sara, a computer-science student, went back to her studies last year after an eight-year gap, when she started a family. She studies Python code, business and Afghan history in the afternoon and at night, once she has put her 7-year-old daughter to bed.

“This is the only place where I see a future for myself,” said Sara, 26. Tuition fees at other online institutions are too high, she said, and most jobs are out of reach because she lacks an undergraduate degree.

Katayoon Sultani, 28, said that the funding cuts at the university made her feel powerless. In the meantime, she balances five courses, including political science, accounting and creative writing, while freelancing as a digital marketing consultant.

About 200 of the 980 current students are men.

Mohammad Numan Zullal, 29, obtained his M.B.A. from the university in May and plans to start a job with the Japan International Cooperation Agency in Afghanistan later this year. He said his master’s degree led to the job, and that his monthly salary of $2,500 would help support his parents and two younger brothers.

He said there would be other opportunities for male students if the university closed, but very few options left for Afghan female students.

Elian Peltier is The Times’s bureau chief for Pakistan and Afghanistan, based in Islamabad.

American University of Afghanistan at Risk of Closure Amid Funding Cuts
read more

Pakistani airstrikes kill nine in Afghanistan, Taliban say

October 1, 2026

Al-Monitor

Reuters

Oct 1, 2026

KABUL, Oct 1 (Reuters) – Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan hit three houses on Thursday, killing nine people, the Afghan Taliban government said, while Islamabad said the strikes killed 22 “terrorists” after targeting their hideouts.

The airstrikes mark an escalation in fighting between the neighbours after three months of relative calm.

Those killed in the strikes on Afghanistan’s Kunar and Helmand provinces included women and children, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on social media website X, adding that 11 people were also injured.

“We condemn this act as an aggression and crime in violation of all accepted principles,” he said.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said at least 10 civilians were killed in the strikes, most of them children, and nine others were injured.

Pakistan’s information ministry said the strikes were based on “credible intelligence” and targeted terrorist hideouts at two locations.

“Targets were destroyed with precision and initial reports suggest killing of 22 terrorists,” it said in a statement on X.

“Large quantities of weapons and ammunition stored at these hideouts were also destroyed,” it said.

Reuters could not independently verify the information.

A militant attack on a police facility in northwestern Pakistan last month, which killed 24 people, rekindled tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which in February had engaged in their worst fighting in years.

The allies-turned-foes have increasingly been at odds over militancy, with Islamabad accusing Kabul ofharbouring militants who stage cross-border attacks.

The Taliban government denies the charge and says militancy is Pakistan’s internal problem.

Islamabad has conducted multiple airstrikes on Afghanistan over the last two weeks, which it said hit terror camps and killedmilitants.

Kabul has said the strikes killed civilians.

Afghanistan’s defence ministry said on Sunday its forces had killed 28 fighters and wounded 32 after a group it said included Islamic State militants crossed from Pakistan.

Islamabad had rejected the allegations.

(Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar in Kabul and Rick Noack in Islamabad; Writing by Devika Nair and Sakshi Dayal; Editing by Christian Schmollinger, Stephen Coates and Gareth Jones)

Pakistani airstrikes kill nine in Afghanistan, Taliban say
read more

Russia to Host Eighth Moscow Format Talks on Afghanistan on October 5

October 1, 2026
Khaama Press

Russia will host the eighth round of the Moscow Format consultations on Afghanistan on October 5, bringing together Afghan officials and representatives from neighboring and regional countries to discuss political, economic and security issues concerning Afghanistan, Russian officials said.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the meeting will bring together special representatives and senior officials from Afghanistan, Russia, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Belarus and Egypt have also been invited as guests.

The Afghan delegation will be led by Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who is also expected to hold a separate meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the consultations. According to the Russian side, the bilateral talks will focus on current issues in relations and cooperation between Russia and Afghanistan.

The broader meeting is expected to focus on political and economic cooperation, regional engagement with Afghanistan, counterterrorism and efforts to combat drug trafficking. Participants are also expected to discuss ways to strengthen regional cooperation on issues affecting Afghanistan and its neighbors. A joint statement is expected to be issued at the conclusion of the meeting.

The Moscow Format was established in 2017 as a regional platform for consultations on Afghanistan. Previous meetings have brought together Russia and Afghanistan’s neighbors and other regional stakeholders to discuss security, terrorism, narcotics, economic cooperation and Afghanistan’s political future.

At the seventh meeting in Moscow in October 2025, participants called for stronger regional cooperation against terrorism and drug trafficking and emphasized economic and trade cooperation with Afghanistan. The meeting also opposed the establishment of foreign military infrastructure in Afghanistan and neighboring countries.

Russia to Host Eighth Moscow Format Talks on Afghanistan on October 5
read more

Recent Posts