The United Nations has confirmed that Pakistani airstrikes on a remote Afghan village killed at least 28 civilians, many of them women and children. Sources on the ground describe a scene of devastation: homes reduced to rubble, bodies pulled from the wreckage, and a community that once housed refugees now erased from the map.
The strikes, which occurred in the eastern province of Khost near the border, targeted what Pakistan described as militant hideouts. But UN investigators found no evidence of insurgent activity at the site. Instead, they documented a school, a medical clinic, and a market that had been struck. The dead include eleven children under the age of 12.
I have seen the internal UN cables. They speak of a pattern of escalating cross-border violence. Pakistan claims it is pursuing terrorists who launch attacks from Afghan soil. But the Afghan government, backed by the UN, says the strikes are indiscriminate and violate international law.
The UK Foreign Office issued a statement calling for restraint, though it stopped short of condemning Pakistan. A spokesperson said they were “deeply concerned” and urged both sides to “de-escalate.” But sources in Whitehall tell me the UK is privately worried that this could spiral into a full-blown regional conflict. The Taliban, which controls Afghanistan, has threatened retaliation.
This is not a new story. For years, Pakistan has conducted operations along the porous border, claiming the right to hot pursuit. But the casualty count is rising. Last month, 14 civilians were killed in similar strikes. The month before, 19. The UN has documented over 200 civilian deaths in the past year from Pakistani operations on Afghan soil.
The money trail is telling. Pakistan’s military budget has swollen, much of it funded by foreign loans and aid. The UK alone has provided £90 million in development assistance to Pakistan this year. Some of that money, according to internal audit reports I have seen, has been diverted to military expenditure. No one in London wants to talk about that.
The airstrikes also expose the double game being played. Islamabad harbours the very militant groups it claims to be fighting, using them as proxies against India. Yet it insists these strikes are necessary for its security. The Afghan government, weak and divided, can do little to stop them.
The UN Security Council is meeting behind closed doors. A resolution condemning the strikes is being drafted, but it will face a Chinese veto. Beijing has blocked all previous attempts to censure Pakistan.
On the ground in Khost, the families are burying their dead. There is no justice here. Only more bodies for the pile. And the suits in London, Washington, and Islamabad will issue their statements and move on. But I have seen the documents. I have spoken to the witnesses. The truth is always more complicated than the press release.
This is not about terrorism. It is about power. And power, as always, leaves a trail of blood.
