The United Nations says it has not been able to independently verify casualty figures from the ongoing clashes between Taliban forces and Pakistani troops because of limited access to the affected border regions.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the restrictions have prevented independent confirmation of reported deaths and injuries linked to the fighting.
Schools and markets in several border districts remain closed because of the instability, the agency said. Mortar fire has also forced families to flee villages in northwestern Pakistan, while humanitarian operations in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have been temporarily suspended.
Across the border in Afghanistan, shelling and airstrikes have caused civilian casualties and damage to homes, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
In Nangarhar province, five civilians, including children, were wounded near the Torkham border crossing, while two others were injured in Nazyan district, the mission said.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary general, emphasized that civilians must be protected.
“Civilians must be protected at all times, as well as civilian infrastructure,” he said.
The UN mission also reiterated its call on Tuesday for the Taliban and Pakistan to halt the cross-border clashes and urged all parties to comply with international law, including international humanitarian law.
Aid officials warn that further escalation could worsen one of the world’s largest returnee crises. The International Organization for Migration says more than five million Afghans have returned to the country over the past two years, placing severe pressure on already strained communities.
The fighting between Taliban forces and Pakistani troops, along with Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan, has now entered its eighth day. Both sides have claimed to have inflicted heavy casualties on the other, though those figures remain unverified.
