Pakistan Denies Targeting Civilians In Strikes Inside Afghanistan

UNICEF said in a post on X on Monday that it plans to reach around 1.3 million children with severe acute malnutrition during the current year.

The agency added that in 2025 it treated more than 610,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition with the support of its partners.

Earlier, the World Food Programme warned that cuts in foreign aid and rising tensions along the Pakistan border could leave about 200,000 more children in Afghanistan facing acute malnutrition this year.

The organisation said about 3.7 million Afghan children will require treatment for malnutrition in 2026.

Ahmad Massoud said the Taliban had previously triggered foreign intervention by sheltering Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaida and were now responsible for renewed attacks by hosting Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and other militant groups.

However, he said opposition to the Taliban should not translate into support for bombing or foreign aggression.

Massoud made the remarks on Sunday, March 8, during an online event held to mark International Women’s Day.

He said the Taliban had turned Afghanistan into what he described as a place of suffering for its people and a haven for militant groups.

Massoud said Pakistan’s recent attacks had produced two types of reactions among Afghans. According to him, some people supported the strikes due to their resentment toward Taliban rule, while others opposed any foreign intervention in Afghanistan.

He said he supported a middle position between the two views and rejected foreign military attacks, arguing they would not bring meaningful results.

Massoud also said that no invasion anywhere in the world leads to freedom or dignity.

He added that while he opposed foreign military attacks on Afghanistan, he also rejected political engagement with the Taliban and said the solution for the region and the world was to listen to the Afghan people.

Fighting between Taliban forces and Pakistan has continued for more than 10 days.

The clashes began after the Taliban’s retaliatory attacks on Pakistani border posts.

Before those strikes, Pakistan carried out air attacks on targets in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces of Paktika and Nangarhar.

The Taliban called the strikes a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty and claimed civilians were targeted.

Both sides say they have inflicted hundreds of casualties on each other, while international organisations have confirmed the deaths of dozens of Afghan civilians in the fighting.

Iran earlier suspended exports of food and agricultural products until further notice.

Hazrat Zaeem Agha, the Taliban commissioner at the Islam Qala crossing, told the Taliban-run Bakhtar News Agency that about 600 cargo trucks currently enter Iran through the crossing each day.

He said roughly 700 cargo trucks arrive daily from Iran, adding that commercial goods continue to move without disruption.

Mohammad Yousuf Saeedi, spokesperson for the Taliban governor in Herat, warned that traders who raise prices under the pretext of road closures in Iran would face legal action.

However, several Herat residents told Afghanistan International that the ongoing conflict between the Taliban and Pakistan, along with the war involving Iran, Israel and the United States, has led to rising food prices in the city.

Officials at the Herat Chamber of Commerce and Investment said that if the war in Iran continues, they will seek to expand Afghanistan’s trade relations with other countries to prevent possible food shortages.

Muttaqi said the Taliban administration was facing what he described as an imposed war and had acted cautiously in defensive operations.

Zia Ahmad Takal, head of public relations at the Taliban foreign ministry, posted a video on X on Monday showing Muttaqi attending a joint iftar with ambassadors and foreign diplomats based in Kabul, along with representatives of the United Nations, the European Union and several international organisations.

Muttaqi said the Taliban administration remained committed to resolving issues through understanding, dialogue and mutual respect but considered defending Afghan territory against any aggression a legitimate right.

He said Pakistan had carried out bombardments in areas including the provinces of Nangarhar, Paktia, Paktika, Kandahar, Khost, Kunar, Laghman, Parwan, Nuristan and Kabul.

Muttaqi said Pakistan had cited Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan to justify the strikes but argued that the group had existed in Pakistan for years and had its own causes and background.

He also said Pakistani generals were choosing confrontation and force rather than seeking solutions through dialogue and warned their actions risked undermining regional security.

Military clashes between Taliban forces and Pakistan entered their 12th day on Monday, March 9, following what the Taliban described as retaliatory cross-border attacks.

Pakistani officials have rejected any negotiations or ceasefire agreement.

Georgette Gagnon, deputy special representative of the UN secretary-general in Afghanistan, is expected to present a report on developments in the country.

The meeting is scheduled for 11:30 pm Afghanistan time and 3 pm in New York. The United Nations Security Council last held a session on Afghanistan on Dec. 10.

The discussion comes amid growing international concern over human rights restrictions, humanitarian challenges, terrorism risks and border clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan.

In previous meetings, many council members raised concerns about Taliban policies and the situation of women and human rights in Afghanistan.

The Taliban have dismissed UN meetings held without their representatives as ineffective and have called on countries to engage directly with the group’s administration.