Russia on Saturday voiced concern over the ongoing military confrontation between Pakistan and Afghanistan, calling the civilian toll from Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan territory "serious".
The Russian Embassy in Kabul said in a post on X that it was "seriously concerned about the ongoing military confrontation between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which affects civilians, including children". The statement highlighted recent Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan's Helmand and Kunar provinces overnight on October 1, "which caused a number of people killed, including children, and injured".
UN confirms child casualties
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) separately confirmed that at least 10 civilians — most of them children — were killed and nine others injured in the strikes. The UN agency called for de-escalation, dialogue and measures to prevent further civilian harm.
Afghanistan's Taliban authorities said the October 1 attacks hit residential areas and killed nine people, including women and children, while 11 others were injured. Pakistan, for its part, said its forces had targeted militant camps and hideouts and claimed 22 militants were killed. The competing claims have not been independently verified.
A deepening cross-border crisis
The escalation follows growing tensions between the neighbours over cross-border militancy. Islamabad has accused the Taliban government of allowing groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to operate from Afghan territory — a charge Kabul denies. Pakistan has increasingly responded with strikes inside Afghanistan, while Afghan authorities have condemned them as violations of their sovereignty.
UN special rapporteur Richard Bennett has also raised questions about the strikes, asking whether they reflected "incompetence, negligence, or worse" — a remark carried in international coverage of the episode.
Regional stakes
Moscow's intervention adds a significant international dimension to a confrontation that has so far played out mostly as a bilateral dispute. Russia maintains an embassy in Kabul and has long positioned itself as a stakeholder in Afghan security. Its statement is the first major-power response to the October 1 strikes and will increase pressure on both Islamabad and Kabul to find a diplomatic off-ramp.
With the European Union also expressing concern, the strikes are drawing a wider ring of international attention — and with it, the risk that a bilateral border crisis becomes a regional one.
Sources: News18: Russia voices concerns over civilian deaths in Pakistani strikes on Afghanistan
The Russian Embassy in Kabul said in a post on X that it was "seriously concerned about the ongoing military confrontation between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which affects civilians, including children". The statement highlighted recent Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan's Helmand and Kunar provinces overnight on October 1, "which caused a number of people killed, including children, and injured".
UN confirms child casualties
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) separately confirmed that at least 10 civilians — most of them children — were killed and nine others injured in the strikes. The UN agency called for de-escalation, dialogue and measures to prevent further civilian harm.
Afghanistan's Taliban authorities said the October 1 attacks hit residential areas and killed nine people, including women and children, while 11 others were injured. Pakistan, for its part, said its forces had targeted militant camps and hideouts and claimed 22 militants were killed. The competing claims have not been independently verified.
A deepening cross-border crisis
The escalation follows growing tensions between the neighbours over cross-border militancy. Islamabad has accused the Taliban government of allowing groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to operate from Afghan territory — a charge Kabul denies. Pakistan has increasingly responded with strikes inside Afghanistan, while Afghan authorities have condemned them as violations of their sovereignty.
UN special rapporteur Richard Bennett has also raised questions about the strikes, asking whether they reflected "incompetence, negligence, or worse" — a remark carried in international coverage of the episode.
Regional stakes
Moscow's intervention adds a significant international dimension to a confrontation that has so far played out mostly as a bilateral dispute. Russia maintains an embassy in Kabul and has long positioned itself as a stakeholder in Afghan security. Its statement is the first major-power response to the October 1 strikes and will increase pressure on both Islamabad and Kabul to find a diplomatic off-ramp.
With the European Union also expressing concern, the strikes are drawing a wider ring of international attention — and with it, the risk that a bilateral border crisis becomes a regional one.
Sources: News18: Russia voices concerns over civilian deaths in Pakistani strikes on Afghanistan
