UN urges Pakistan and Afghanistan to end hostilities to protect civilians

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ISLAMABAD (AP) — Afghanistan's Taliban government said on Thursday that Pakistan carried out two drone strikes on Kabul the day before, even as the United Nations welcomed a critical ceasefire between the two neighbors after days of fighting killed dozens in both countries and injured hundreds more.

The attacks on Wednesday came just before the two countries declared a truce following the deadliest violence between them in years.

Khalid Zadran, a spokesman for the Kabul police chief, told The Associated Press that the strikes hit the city on Wednesday afternoon. The first target was a civilian house, while the second was a market. Zadran did not give casualty figures, but doctors at a hospital said earlier that five people were killed and dozens were injured.

The surgical center run by Emergency, a nongovernmental organization, said the wounded had shrapnel wounds, blunt force trauma, and burns.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban government’s chief spokesman, initially said there had been an oil tanker explosion.

Meanwhile, the U.N. urged Pakistan and Afghanistan to bring “a lasting end to hostilities” to protect civilians.

The days of clashes amount to the deadliest crisis between the neighbors since 2021, when the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan following the collapse of the Western-backed government as the U.S. and NATO forces were withdrawing after 20 years of war.

Cross-border violence has escalated since Oct. 10, with both Islamabad and Kabul saying they were retaliating to armed provocations from the other. On Wednesday, the two sides agreed to a ceasefire.

The truce followed appeals from major regional powers, as the violence threatened to destabilize a region where groups, including the Islamic State group and al-Qaida, are trying to resurface. There were no reports of overnight fighting. Key border crossings remained closed on Thursday.

The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan welcomed the ceasefire and said it was still assessing the number of casualties. It said the heaviest toll was in the south on Wednesday.

“Current information indicates that at least 17 civilians were killed and 346 were injured in Spin Boldak on the Afghan side of the border,” the U.N. mission said.

It said it had also documented at least 16 civilian casualties in several Afghan provinces during earlier clashes between the two countries.

“UNAMA calls on all parties to bring a lasting end to hostilities to protect civilians and prevent further loss of life,” the mission added.

Pakistan has not provided figures for civilian casualties suffered on its side of the border.

It has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of harboring militants, a charge rejected by the Taliban. Pakistan is grappling with attacks that have increased since 2021.

Pakistani officials said security forces had shot and killed dozens of militants who crossed over from Afghanistan on Thursday. They were spotted in Mohmand district, northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

The two countries share a 2,611-kilometer (1,622-mile) long border known as the Durand Line, which Afghanistan has never recognized.

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Associated Press writer Riaz Khan contributed to this story from Peshawar, Pakistan.