Afghanistan
Afghanistan's communist government crushed the 1979 Herat uprising and massacred the men of Kerala in Kunar, and during the Soviet occupation of 1979–1989 an estimated 562,000 to 2 million Afghan civilians were killed and 5.5–6.2 million fled the country. After the US-led invasion in 2001, surrendered prisoners died in containers at Dasht-e-Leili, and thousands were held without charge at Bagram and other bases, where former detainees describe torture. UNAMA attributes 8,617 civilian deaths in 2009–2020 to Afghan and international pro-government forces, from airstrikes, ground fighting and night raids, alongside killings such as Kunduz 2009, Narang, Panjwai and those found by Australia's Brereton inquiry. Since late 2025 Pakistani air strikes have hit Afghan villages and a Kabul hospital, displacing nearly 100,000 people.
Key numbers
Who is responsible
The Afghan communist (Khalqi) government and the Soviet Army (1978–1989); General Dostum's Junbish forces (2001); US forces and the CIA, NATO and Australian special forces, and Afghan government forces (2001–2021); the Pakistani armed forces (2025–2026). US strikes such as Kunduz MSF 2015 and Kabul 2021 are listed under America.
Timeline
- 1979 Herat uprising crushed; Kerala massacre in Kunar; Soviet invasion in December.
- 1983 Soviet troops kill villagers at Kulchabat, Bala Karz and Mushkizi.
- 1985 Laghman massacre.
- 1989 Soviet withdrawal; 5.5–6.2 million Afghans are refugees.
- 2001 Dasht-e-Leili container deaths; Bagram prison opens.
- 2009 Kunduz tanker strike and Narang night raid.
- 2012 Panjwai massacre.
- 2020 Brereton report finds 39 unlawful killings by Australian soldiers.
- 2026 Pakistani strikes hit a Kabul hospital and border provinces.
Records (18)
Herat uprising crushed
After the uprising in Herat from 15 March 1979, government tanks retook the city and Il-28 bombers from Shindand bombed it. The lowest estimates of the dead are 3,000–4,000; Ismail Khan put the toll, including later round-ups by the AGSA secret police, at over 24,000. A grave of about 2,000 bodies was found north of Herat in 1992.
3,000–24,000 killed
Source: Afghanistan Analysts Network: The Herat uprising of March 1979 · Wikipedia: 1979 Herat uprising
Kerala massacre
On Friday 20 April 1979 about 200 Afghan soldiers and police with Soviet advisers gathered the men of Kerala village in Kunar, made them crouch facing tanks and shot them; a bulldozer then ploughed the bodies into the field. Survivors' accounts put the dead at about 1,170; AP reported 640 men.
640–1,260 killed
Source: Christian Science Monitor: A grim chapter in Afghanistan war · Wikipedia: Kerala massacre
Soviet war in Afghanistan
During the Soviet occupation from December 1979 to February 1989, estimates of Afghan civilian deaths range from 562,000 to 2 million, and 5.5–6.2 million Afghans fled as refugees, mostly to Pakistan and Iran.
562,000–2,000,000 killed5,500,000–6,200,000 displaced
Source: Wikipedia: Soviet–Afghan War
Kulchabat, Bala Karz and Mushkizi massacre
On 12 October 1983, after attacks on a Soviet convoy, Soviet troops went house to house in three villages on the Kandahar road shooting residents; in one house women and children were killed with grenades. Human Rights Watch estimated about 260 dead; other reports say up to 360.
260–360 killed
Source: Wikipedia: Kulchabat, Bala Karz and Mushkizi massacre (citing HRW 1984, UN Special Rapporteur 1985) · Human Rights Watch: Tears, Blood and Cries (1984)
Laghman massacre
From 11 to 18 March 1985 Soviet troops with up to 200 tanks and armoured vehicles swept seven villages in Laghman, including Kas-Aziz-Khan, Charbagh and Bala Bagh. Western diplomats reported more than 1,000 civilians killed; other estimates start at 500.
500–1,000 killed
Source: UPI: Diplomats report massacre in Afghanistan · Wikipedia: Laghman massacre
Dasht-e-Leili container deaths
In December 2001 prisoners who had surrendered at Kunduz were moved in sealed shipping containers to Sheberghan prison and many died of suffocation; bodies were buried in the Dasht-e-Leili desert. Estimates range from about 250 to 2,000 dead. Dostum denied the killings.
250–2,000 killed
Source: Wikipedia: Dasht-i-Leili massacre · RFE/RL: Dostum: 'It Is Impossible Prisoners Were Abused'
Bagram (Parwan) detention facility
The US set up a prison at Bagram air base in late 2001; it held more than 5,000 prisoners by 2021, none with prisoner-of-war status. Former inmates describe electric shocks, beatings, hanging upside down and secret solitary cells known as the 'black jail'.
5,000 detained
Source: Al Jazeera: Life in Bagram through the eyes of former prisoners
US detention sites: Kandahar, Jalalabad, Asadabad
Human Rights Watch estimated that US-led forces detained at least 1,000 people from 2002 to early 2004 at Bagram and bases in Kandahar, Jalalabad and Asadabad, many of them civilians held without charge. Former detainees described beatings, sleep deprivation and forced painful positions; a detainee died near Asadabad in June 2003.
1,000 detained
Source: Human Rights Watch: 'Enduring Freedom': Abuses by U.S. Forces in Afghanistan
Civilians killed by US and NATO attacks 2006–2007
Human Rights Watch counted at least 230 Afghan civilians killed by US or NATO attacks in 2006 (116 by airstrikes) and 434 in 2007 (321 by airstrikes).
664 killed
Source: Human Rights Watch: 'Troops in Contact': Airstrikes and Civilian Deaths
Unlawful killings by Australian special forces (Brereton)
The Brereton inquiry found evidence that Australian special forces unlawfully killed 39 Afghan prisoners and civilians, most in 2012–2013, and recommended police investigate 19 soldiers; it found junior soldiers were made to shoot prisoners for their 'first kill'. Victims' families say there were many more cases.
39 killed
Source: ABC News: Families of slain Afghan victims · Wikipedia: Brereton Report
Civilians killed by pro-government and international forces
UNAMA's yearly counts attribute 8,617 civilian deaths in 2009–2020 to pro-government forces (Afghan forces, international military and allied militias), mostly from ground fighting, airstrikes and search operations. In 2020 Afghan Air Force strikes killed 234 civilians, the most since UNAMA began counting.
8,617 killed
Source: UNAMA: Afghanistan Annual Report on Protection of Civilians 2020
Kunduz fuel tanker airstrike
On 4 September 2009, called in by German forces, a US F-15E bombed two fuel tankers seized by the Taliban near Kunduz, killing over 100 civilians. Germany later paid $5,000 to each of the families of over 100 victims without admitting liability.
100 killed
Source: Wikipedia: 2009 Kunduz airstrike
Narang night raid
On 27 December 2009 foreign troops raided a house in Kunar and killed 10 people; the UN said eight were students enrolled in local schools, and the Afghan government said they were schoolchildren aged 12 to 14. NATO first said all were insurgents.
10 killed
Panjwai (Kandahar) massacre
In the early hours of 11 March 2012 US Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales killed 16 villagers in Panjwayi district, nine of them children and three women. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life without parole.
16 killed
Source: Al Jazeera: No one asked their names · Wikipedia: Kandahar massacre
Displacement by Pakistani strikes on the border
Pakistani air and drone strikes from October 2025 and the border fighting that followed displaced nearly 100,000 people in Afghanistan, the UN said; about 1,000 homes were destroyed or damaged in six months.
100,000 displaced1,000 mosques & sacred places destroyed
Source: RFE/RL: Escaping Border Violence, Afghans Struggle To Rebuild Lives
Pakistani air strike in Khost
Overnight on 24–25 November 2025 air strikes in Gurbuz district, Khost, killed at least 10 people, nine of them children and one woman, the Taliban government said, blaming Pakistan. Pakistan's military denied attacking civilians.
10 killed
Source: RFE/RL: Taliban Blames Pakistan For Air Strikes Killing 10
Strike on Kabul drug-rehabilitation hospital
Late on 16 March 2026 a Pakistani air strike destroyed a drug-rehabilitation hospital in Kabul. The UN said over 100 people were killed; the Taliban said at least 400. Pakistan said it hit a military installation.
100–400 killed
Source: RFE/RL: Hundreds Killed At Kabul Hospital, Says Afghan Taliban · RFE/RL: Escaping Border Violence (UN figure)
Pakistani strikes on Paktia, Paktika and Kunar
On 28 June 2026 Pakistani cross-border strikes hit Paktia, Paktika and Kunar; the Taliban said 36 civilians, including children, were killed and 163 injured. Pakistan said it struck 'terrorist camps'.
36 killed
Source: RFE/RL: Pakistani Strikes Along Afghan Border Leave Dozens Dead