Pakistan Rejects Afghan Taliban’s Civilian Casualty Claims, Reaffirms Right to Self-Defence

ISLAMABAD (Terror Monitor) — Pakistan has rejected allegations by Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities that Pakistani counterterrorism operations have killed or injured Afghan civilians, describing the claims as “baseless and unsubstantiated” and insisting that it has the right to defend itself against terrorist attacks originating from Afghan territory.

In a statement issued on Monday, October 26, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said misleading narratives could neither conceal the threat posed by terrorist networks operating from Afghanistan nor absolve the Taliban administration of its responsibility to prevent Afghan territory from being used to plan and launch attacks against Pakistan.

The statement followed remarks by Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesperson for the Afghan Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who told CNN that 1,119 Afghan civilians had been killed or injured in Pakistani attacks since early 2022. Balkhi said women and children constituted the majority of the casualties and included victims of an alleged strike on a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul.

Pakistan Says Attacks Have Caused More Than 3,500 Casualties This Year

The Pakistani Foreign Office said attacks attributed to terrorist networks operating from Afghan territory had resulted in more than 3,500 casualties in Pakistan during 2026.

It accused the Taliban authorities of continuing to shelter groups including the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and their affiliates, which Islamabad says pose a serious threat to Pakistan and regional security.

The ministry said relevant United Nations mechanisms, including the UN Monitoring Team, had repeatedly raised concerns about terrorist organizations operating from Afghanistan.

Pakistan also alleged that thousands of its civilians had been killed in attacks planned, financed, supported or carried out from Afghan territory, accusing the Taliban administration of providing protection and assistance to the networks responsible.

These allegations remain a central point of dispute between Islamabad and Kabul. The Taliban authorities have repeatedly denied allowing Afghan territory to be used to launch attacks against Pakistan.

Islamabad Defends Cross-Border Operations

The Foreign Office said Pakistan’s actions against terrorist targets in Afghanistan had been undertaken in exercise of its right to self-defence, as a measure of last resort and in response to repeated attacks against Pakistani civilians and security personnel.

According to the statement, Pakistani operations were directed exclusively at terrorist groups and their logistical support bases in Afghanistan. Islamabad said its response was proportionate to the threat and that it had observed the principles of distinction and precaution.

“No responsible state can remain passive when its civilians and security forces are repeatedly targeted,” the ministry said, reiterating that Pakistan reserved the right to take all necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty, territorial integrity and citizens.

Pakistan urged the international community to hold the Taliban administration accountable for what it described as a failure to meet obligations under relevant UN Security Council resolutions and other commitments intended to prevent Afghan territory from being used for terrorism.

Afghan Taliban Cite Civilian Casualties

Balkhi’s allegations, reported by Afghan media on Sunday, October 25, added to the continuing dispute over Pakistan’s cross-border military operations.

In his CNN interview, the Taliban foreign ministry spokesperson said 1,119 Afghan civilians had been killed or injured in Pakistani attacks since early 2022, with women and children making up most of those affected.

He also referred to the Omid Addiction Treatment Centre in Kabul, alleging that hundreds of people were among the victims of a Pakistani strike. Balkhi called on Islamabad to address its security concerns through diplomacy rather than making what he described as unfounded accusations against Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s latest statement rejected the allegations but did not provide a separate casualty-by-casualty assessment of the incidents cited by Balkhi.

UN Concerns and the Need for Independent Verification

The dispute comes amid persistent insecurity along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where Islamabad has repeatedly accused the TTP and other armed groups of using Afghan territory as a base for attacks inside Pakistan.

International reporting has also documented civilian casualties resulting from cross-border violence. Voice of America reported on October 26 that the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan had documented more than 1,100 civilian deaths and injuries from cross-border attacks in Afghanistan during 2026 as of September. That figure concerns a broader category of cross-border violence and should not automatically be treated as independent verification of the specific total cited by Balkhi for Pakistani attacks since 2022.

The competing claims underscore the need for independently verified information about the circumstances, locations and consequences of individual strikes, including the distinction between civilian and military casualties.

Tensions Remain Unresolved

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban-led administration have remained strained over border security, militant activity and repeated accusations of cross-border attacks.

Islamabad maintains that its operations are necessary to protect its population from terrorist networks, while Taliban officials have condemned Pakistani strikes and called for diplomatic engagement.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the country would continue to defend its sovereignty and protect its citizens, while calling on the international community to press the Taliban authorities to prevent Afghan territory from being used for attacks against Pakistan. No independent assessment cited in the reports reviewed here resolves all the competing allegations about civilian casualties.