The UNICEF has expressed deep concern over reports that children have been killed and injured amid escalating hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
While verification efforts are underway in coordination with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and other UN partners, the agency stated that children are already bearing a heavy toll.
Displacement worsens hardship
Following intense fighting, families who survived last year’s devastating earthquake in eastern Afghanistan are now being asked to evacuate displacement camps near the border for safety reasons. These camps were providing shelter, food, healthcare, safe water, sanitation, child-friendly spaces and emergency education to nearly 17,000 survivors — about half of them children.
Aid agencies warn that renewed displacement increases risks of disease, malnutrition, violence and exploitation. Many children who had begun to regain stability now face further uncertainty.
Schools closed, immunisation disrupted
In Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, escalating tensions have led to the reported closure of 138 government schools as a precautionary measure following attacks on educational institutions, including a reported drone strike in Ghalanai.
The closures have disrupted learning for thousands of children. Routine immunisation services have also been affected, raising concerns about potential outbreaks of preventable diseases. Additionally, displacement and insecurity have heightened protection risks, including exposure to unexploded ordnance in affected communities.
Call for restraint
UNICEF has urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint, safeguard civilian lives and uphold obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law.
The agency reiterated that children must be protected at all times, especially during armed conflict, emphasising that their safety, health and education should never become collateral damage in escalating tensions.