Pakistani military forces launched artillery strikes on Sarkanoo district in Kunar Province, killing at least eight people and injuring 97 others in one of the deadliest cross-border incidents in recent months. Local hospitals have issued urgent appeals for blood donations as medical facilities struggle to treat the wounded.
The strikes, which targeted the border district of Sarkanoo, overwhelmed the limited medical infrastructure in the remote mountainous region. Hospital administrators told local media that casualty numbers could rise as more victims reach medical facilities from outlying areas affected by the artillery fire.
"We are calling on all residents to come forward and donate blood," a doctor at a Kunar hospital said in video footage circulating on social media. "Our supplies are running critically low, and we have many patients who need immediate transfusions."
The incident highlights the persistent tensions along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where cross-border violence has escalated since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Pakistan has accused Afghan territory of harboring militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan, while Taliban authorities deny providing safe haven to armed groups and demand an end to what they describe as violations of Afghan sovereignty.
Local residents reported hearing sustained artillery fire throughout the morning, with shells landing in populated areas of the district. Video footage verified by multiple sources showed damaged buildings and residents rushing injured victims to medical facilities on makeshift stretchers and in private vehicles.
The Pakistani military has not issued an official statement regarding the strikes. However, Pakistan has conducted several cross-border operations in recent years, justifying them as necessary to target what Islamabad describes as terrorist safe havens in Afghan border regions.
The Taliban administration condemned the strikes as "unprovoked aggression" and called for international intervention to prevent further attacks on Afghan civilians. Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban government spokesman, said authorities were documenting the incident and would raise the matter through diplomatic channels.
Kunar Province, which shares a lengthy and porous border with Pakistan, has been a flashpoint for cross-border tensions for decades. The mountainous terrain makes border control difficult, and the region has historically seen movement of both refugees and armed groups between the two countries.
For civilians caught in the crossfire, the strikes represent yet another humanitarian crisis in a country already facing severe economic challenges, food insecurity, and the aftermath of decades of conflict. Many families in border areas have been displaced multiple times, fleeing violence only to find themselves vulnerable to cross-border strikes in what they hoped would be safer locations.
Humanitarian organizations have expressed concern about the impact of cross-border military operations on civilian populations. The United Nations human rights office has repeatedly called on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and take all feasible precautions to protect civilians during military operations.
The blood donation appeals from Kunar hospitals underscore the limited medical infrastructure available in Afghanistan's provinces. Years of conflict and economic collapse have left many provincial hospitals critically short of supplies, equipment, and trained personnel. When mass casualty events occur, these facilities quickly become overwhelmed.
In Afghanistan, as across conflict zones, the story is ultimately about ordinary people navigating extraordinary circumstances. The families in Sarkanoo who woke to artillery fire, the doctors working with limited supplies to save lives, and the residents lining up to donate blood all exemplify the resilience of communities facing violence beyond their control.
As medical staff work to stabilize the wounded, the incident serves as a stark reminder that Afghanistan's civilian population continues to bear the costs of regional security tensions, even as international attention has largely shifted away from the country since the 2021 withdrawal of foreign forces.
