UN says strikes kill or wound dozens of Afghans near Pakistan

ASADABAD, Afghanistan: The United Nations said Tuesday it has documented dozens of civilian casualties in strikes on Afghanistan a day earlier, which Taliban officials blamed on neighboring Pakistan.
Hundreds of people have been killed since the two neighbors went to war in late February, according to UN figures, although the fighting has largely abated in recent weeks.
An uptick in violence in Afghanistan’s eastern Kunar province on Monday killed seven civilians and wounded 85 others, a provincial health official said.
The UN’s mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said it had recorded “tens of civilians killed or injured” in strikes that hit a university and other parts of the provincial capital Asadabad.
Afghanistan’s foreign ministry called the attacks a “clear breach of the country’s territorial integrity” and summoned Pakistan’s charge d’affaires in Kabul.
Pakistan’s information ministry earlier denied attacking residential areas or the university, calling any such claim a “blatant lie.”
At the university in Asadabad, an AFP journalist saw broken windows and damaged solar panels.
Irfanullah, a 20-year-old psychology student, said everyone in the class lay down on the floor after hearing a loud sound.
“Each student tried to get to a safe place, but the windows were broken and some of the students were wounded,” he told AFP.
Geography student Ibadullah said he fled outside after a strike hit.
“Students ran, shoes and books were left on the ground,” the 23-year-old said.
Both students declined to give their surnames for security reasons.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been fraught since Taliban officials took power in Kabul for a second time in 2021.
The latest violence follows fierce fighting along the frontier this year, as well as unprecedented Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan cities including Kabul.
A days-long ceasefire was agreed in March, and mediator China later said the warring sides had agreed to avoid escalation.
Islamabad accuses the Afghan government of sheltering militants behind attacks on Pakistan, which the Taliban authorities deny.
The border between the neighbors has remained largely closed since deadly violence in October, freezing bilateral trade.

UN says strikes kill or wound dozens of Afghans near Pakistan