The Taliban government has accused Pakistan of carrying out a devastating airstrike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul on Monday night, claiming at least 400 people were killed and 250 others injured. Pakistan has dismissed the allegation as "baseless," maintaining that its military operations only targeted militant installations.
Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson for the Taliban, stated early Tuesday that the strike hit the 2,000-bed Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul’s ninth police district around 9:00 PM local time. "Large sections of the facility were destroyed, and we fear the death toll could rise further as rescue operations continue," Fitrat said.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the incident on social media, calling it a "crime against humanity" and a violation of Afghan sovereignty. He accused the Pakistani military of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure.
In Islamabad, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting categorically denied hitting any medical facility. Information Minister Ataullah Tarar stated that the Pakistan Air Force carried out "precise intelligence-based strikes" against military installations and ammunition depots used by militants in Kabul and eastern Nangarhar province. He claimed the operations were carefully planned to avoid collateral damage and that secondary explosions at the sites indicated the presence of weapons caches.
The incident marks a significant escalation in the ongoing border conflict between the two neighbors. For the past three weeks, Afghan and Pakistani forces have engaged in intense cross-border skirmishes and airstrikes, resulting in hundreds of casualties and the displacement of thousands of civilians.
The United Nations and international human rights organizations have expressed deep concern over the reports of civilian deaths and have urged both nations to de-escalate tensions and respect international humanitarian laws.
