(AGENPARL) – Fri 27 February 2026 Logo ICRC EN.jpg      International Committee of the Red Cross
** ICRC president calls for restraint and de-escalation amidst hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan
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ICRC – News Release
27 February 2026
The following is a quote attributable to ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric on the latest hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
We are witnessing a profound escalation of hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The people of this region have already endured decades of conflict, displacement and loss. They have seen and felt the impact of war on their loved ones and in their communities.
Civilians, the wounded and others not – or no longer – taking part in the fighting must be protected, and humanitarian assistance must reach all those affected. Hospitals must be able to operate and access to essential services must be guaranteed. These are not privileges. They are obligations under international humanitarian law.
Together with colleagues from the Afghan Red Crescent Society and the Pakistan Red Crescent Society, and in coordination with state authorities, the ICRC is preparing an operational response to humanitarian needs on the ground. The focus on both sides of the border now is to support health facilities treating people who were wounded by hostilities. However, no humanitarian response can compensate for political will to respect the rules of war and prioritize de-escalation. 
About the ICRC
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a neutral, impartial and independent organization with an exclusively humanitarian mandate that stems from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. It helps people around the world affected by armed conflict and other violence, doing everything it can to protect their lives and dignity and to relieve their suffering, often alongside its Red Cross and Red Crescent partners.
** For more information, please contact:
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Public Relations Unit | International Committee of the Red Cross | 19, avenue de la Paix | 1202 Geneva | Switzerland
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ICRC, Avenue de la Paix, 19, Geneva, . 1201 Switzerland