The United Nations has said that air strikes attributed to Pakistan in Afghanistan’s Kunar, Khost and Paktika provinces earlier this week killed at least 13 civilians, including 11 children, one woman and one elderly man, and injured 14 others.

Speaking at the UN’s daily press briefing, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said the Afghan authorities in Afghanistan had reported multiple air strikes in the three provinces that allegedly struck civilian homes.

Haq called on all parties to uphold their obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law, stressing that civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times.

The UN official expressed concern over the reported civilian casualties and urged all sides to avoid actions that could further endanger civilian lives.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, in a statement, announced that it has summoned the Chargé d’Affaires of the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul and conveyed its “strong and firm” protest over the violation of Afghanistan’s airspace and the bombing of civilian homes.

According to the statement, Pakistan’s military regime once again blatantly violated Afghanistan’s airspace on Tuesday night and bombed civilian homes in parts of Khost, Paktika, and Kunar provinces.

Afghanistan have added fast bowler Mohammad Saleem to their squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against India, which gets underway on June 13 in Dharamsala.

Saleem was originally selected only for the one-off Test against India but impressed with his performances, earning a place in the ODI squad. The young pacer claimed six wickets in the match and consistently bowled at speeds approaching 140kph despite conditions that offered little assistance to fast bowlers.

Meanwhile, spinner Rashid Khan and all-rounder Mohammad Nabi were absent from Afghanistan’s latest training session in Mohali. According to ESPNcricinfo, Rashid is expected to join the squad in Dharamsala, while Nabi is recovering from illness.

Afghanistan head coach Richard Pybus praised Saleem’s efforts in the Test, describing the fast bowler as “fantastic” following his six-wicket haul against a strong Indian batting lineup.

“He took six wickets in extreme heat against high-quality batsmen, which is a huge positive not only for him but for the team as a whole,” Pybus said.

Pybus added that he is still assessing the squad’s strengths and combinations after recently taking charge of the team. He noted that Saleem had previously dealt with minor fitness concerns and said the focus would be on helping the young pacer maintain consistency and continue his development.

The ODI series between Afghanistan and India begins on Saturday.

The matches will be broadcast live on Ariana Television Network (ATN).

The number of people displaced worldwide by conflict and persecution fell in 2025 for ​the first time in a decade, but levels of refugees facing long-term displacement remain unacceptably high, a U.N. ‌refugee agency report said on Thursday.

Last year, 5.4 million people fled their homes, bringing the total number of refugees or people in refugee-like situations worldwide to 41.6 million, including 6 million Palestinian refugees, UNHCR said.

At the same time, around 14.7 million refugees and internally displaced people returned home, a ​50% increase on the previous year and the second-highest figure recorded since 1965, the agency found.

Most returns were to ​six countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Myanmar.

However, many returned ⁠to difficult conditions marked by limited access to basic services, widespread infrastructure damage and ongoing insecurity, raising concerns over the sustainability ​and safety of their return, UNHCR said.

About 2.9 million Afghans returned in 2025, including 1.9 million refugees – five times higher than the previous ​year – driven mainly by stricter policies in neighbouring Iran and Pakistan, with many reporting they had little choice but to leave, UNHCR found.

This sharp rise reduced the global Afghan refugee population from 5.8 million in 2024 to 3.7 million in 2025, the report said.

Syria, which had been one of ​the world’s largest displacement crises for more than a decade, saw around 1.3 million people return in 2025 – nearly triple the ​previous year – following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024. This reduced the global Syrian refugee population from 6 million to 4.9 million ‌by the ⁠end of 2025.

“However, many returnees face serious challenges, including insecurity, widespread destruction, weak economic conditions, limited services and jobs, and continued sporadic violence in parts of the country,” the report said.

The report noted that the crisis in the Middle East has already shaped global displacement trends in 2026. Around 3.2 million people have been temporarily displaced in Iran since joint U.S.-Israeli strikes at the end ​of February, while about one million ​people have been forced from ⁠their homes in Lebanon since the start of the war on March 2, amid Israeli strikes and evacuation orders, UNHCR said.

HALVING REFUGEE NUMBERS

UNHCR says it aims to halve the number of refugees ​and others in protracted displacement requiring humanitarian assistance by 2035, by supporting job creation and education ​opportunities, particularly in ⁠low- and middle-income countries where most refugees are hosted.

Globally, 70% of refugees have been in exile for five years or more, often in countries such as Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iran.

“Asylum and protection are life-saving and not up for debate, but we cannot accept a ⁠future in ​which millions of refugees remain trapped for years or decades without realistic ​prospects of rebuilding their lives,” said UNHCR High Commissioner Barham Salih.

Part of the initiative includes promoting voluntary returns, as well as enabling refugees to access education and ​employment in host countries so they can financially support themselves and become less aid-dependent.