Afghanistan has accused Pakistan of carrying out an air strike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, claiming at least 400 people were killed. Pakistan has firmly denied the allegation, stating that its operations targeted only military sites in Kabul and Nangarhar.
According to Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Taliban administration, the strike hit the Omar Addiction Treatment Hospital at around 9pm local time on Monday. The 2,000-bed facility suffered extensive damage, with large sections reduced to rubble.
Fitrat said the death toll had reached 400, with around 250 others injured. Rescue teams were still working to contain fires and recover bodies from the debris. Footage aired by local media showed firefighters battling flames amid the ruins.
A hospital security guard, Omid Stanikzai, told AFP that jets had been circling before the attack. He claimed nearby military units fired at the aircraft, prompting it to drop bombs that triggered a blaze. He added that all casualties were civilians.
Afghan officials condemned the strike as a “crime against humanity”, accusing Pakistan of violating Afghan airspace and targeting a civilian medical facility.
Pakistan, however, dismissed the accusations as baseless. In a statement, its Ministry of Information said the strikes were “precise” and aimed at military installations and infrastructure used by armed groups, including storage facilities for equipment and ammunition linked to Afghan Taliban elements and Pakistan-based fighters. It insisted that the operation was conducted carefully to avoid civilian harm.
The exchange comes amid escalating tensions between the two neighbours. Earlier on Monday, cross-border shelling reportedly killed four people in southeastern Afghanistan and injured 10 others, with mortar fire damaging homes in Khost province.
The latest violence follows weeks of clashes that have strained a ceasefire brokered in October. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of sheltering militant groups such as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, allegations Kabul denies.
The United Nations Security Council has urged Afghanistan to intensify efforts to combat terrorism, while extending the mandate of its political mission, UNAMA, by three months.
Despite mediation efforts, including by China, analysts warn the conflict risks further escalation. Experts say both sides appear determined to continue retaliatory strikes, with little prospect of de-escalation in the near term.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme has begun mobilising emergency aid for more than 20,000 families displaced by the fighting in Afghanistan.
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