Two Afghan Women Killed by Pakistani Security Forces Near Iran Border

Pakistani officials stated that security forces opened fire on a vehicle in the Prom area of southwest Balochistan, near the Iran border, on Monday after it failed to stop at a checkpoint. Two Afghan women were killed and three others wounded in the shooting.

The officials added that the vehicle was carrying Afghan citizens who had entered Pakistan illegally and were heading toward the Iran border. According to the Pakistani newspaper Dawn, the bodies of the victims and the wounded were taken to a hospital, and other Afghan nationals in the vehicle were detained.

Afghan families who fled Afghanistan after August 2021 due to human rights violations report facing severe hardships in remote areas. In the Kakuma refugee camp in northwest Kenya's Turkana province, Afghan refugees described limited access to food, clean water, healthcare, and education, with families reliant on insufficient humanitarian aid. Refugees told Afghanistan International that unidentified groups assault them, steal mobile phones, and that children grow up without proper schooling while youth lack hope for a secure future.

Afghans entered Kenya mainly on tourist visas after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August 2021 and later sought asylum with the UN. A former Afghan security force member from Kenya said UNHCR pays little attention to refugees' security needs, with criminal groups attacking tents at night or robbing them during the day. Refugees face heavy psychological pressure from uncertainty, long waits for resettlement, and fears of being forgotten by the international community.

Kakuma, established in 1992, hosts thousands from Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Afghanistan fleeing war and violence. Refugees call on the UN, aid groups, and donors to urgently improve humanitarian aid, speed up resettlement, provide education and livelihoods, and strengthen support mechanisms.

Separately, Pakistan's Mohammad Sadiq discussed security challenges from the Taliban's alleged hosting of terrorists with his Uzbek counterpart. A Pakistani representative posted on X that over 2,500 Uzbek 'terrorists' are based in Afghanistan, likely the second-largest group after Pakistani Taliban. Pakistan-Afghan Taliban relations have worsened after Pakistani airstrikes in Nangarhar and Paktika, which Pakistan said targeted TTP and ISKP, killing at least 70 'terrorists.' The Taliban claimed civilians were hit; the UN confirmed at least 13 civilians killed and 7 wounded in Nangarhar, with no reports from Paktika. Uzbekistan maintains close ties with the Taliban but Central Asian states express concerns over groups like the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, confirmed active in UN Security Council reports.