'No Time For Diplomacy': Taliban Vows Retaliation After Pakistani Airstrikes on Kabul Hospital Claims 400 Lives

New Delhi: Following the deadly bombardment by the Pakistani military of a drug rehabilitation center in Kabul, the Afghan Taliban has strongly condemned the airstrikes. 

The group further accused Islamabad of launching lethal attacks on civilian locations and flagrantly violating Afghan airspace.

At least 400 people were killed and 250 were wounded following the strike that followed after weeks of intensifying cross-border fire and underscores the collapse of previous ceasefire efforts.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid alleged that Pakistan military deliberately targeted hospitals, schools and madrasas in a bid to to “perpetrate terror and horror" among civilians, as per reports.

Tactics used by Pakistani forces

In a stark escalation of rhetoric, Mujahid drew a direct parallel between the tactics used by Pakistani forces and Israeli military operations against civilians. 

He characterized the strikes not as isolated incidents, but as a deliberate and sustained pattern of aggression.

Hardening of their stance

In a definitive hardening of their stance, Mujahid declared an end to "diplomacy or talks" with Pakistan, stating that the Taliban will now pivot toward retaliation. 

Vowing to avenge those killed in the recent strikes, he warned that further aggression would meet severe consequences. This rhetoric marks a significant breakdown in relations and a sharp escalation in the ongoing border crisis.

The Taliban, meanwhile, has condemned a recent aerial bombardment in Kabul as one of the deadliest in months, claiming that approximately 400 people were killed and many others wounded. 

Pakistan vs Afghanistan claims

Pakistan, however, has presented a sharply different account of the mission.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced that the armed forces executed precision airstrikes on the night of March 16 as part of the ongoing "Operation Ghazab Lil Haq" (Wrath for the Truth).

According to Tarar, the mission specifically targeted military installations in Kabul and Nangarhar used by the Taliban regime to sponsor terrorism.

The Afghan Taliban, meanwhile, has categorically rejected Pakistan's account, maintaining that the strikes hit civilian sites and constituted a flagrant breach of national sovereignty. 

Dismissing Islamabad's claims of precision, Taliban officials characterized the operation as unlawful military aggression and vowed to avenge those they described as "martyrs."

This divergence in narratives marks a dangerous escalation in regional tensions: while Pakistan frames the mission as a targeted counter-terror operation, the Taliban portrays it as a deliberate assault on civilians and humanitarian infrastructure.

What overnight visuals show

Overnight visuals from the attack site showed flames engulfing a single-storey building, while thick smoke billowed ​from another section of the same complex.

Why the escalation?

Fierce fighting between the South Asian neighbours, who were ​close allies earlier, erupted ⁠last month with Pakistani air strikes in Afghanistan that Islamabad said targeted militant strongholds.

Afghanistan called the strikes a violation of its sovereignty that targeted civilians and launched its own attacks.

Both sides have claimed to have inflicted heavy damage on the other but independent verification has not been possible.

The clashes disrupted a ceasefire brokered by Qatar in October after earlier fighting killed dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected rebels.

Militancy has been a contentious issue between ​the neighbouring allies-turned-foes, with Islamabad saying Kabul ​provides ⁠a haven to militants launching attacks on Pakistan. The Taliban deny the allegation, saying tackling ⁠militancy ​is Pakistan's internal problem.

'No collateral damage'

The Pakistani Information and Broadcasting Ministry meanwhile said the Afghan Taliban claim was "misreporting of facts". 

In an overnight post on X, it said that Pakistan targeted military installations and "terrorist support infrastructure" including technical equipment storage and ammunition storage of the Afghan Taliban and Pakistani Taliban militants in Kabul and Nangarhar that were being used against Pakistani civilians.

"Pakistan’s targeting is precise and carefully undertaken to ensure no collateral damage is inflicted," the post said. "This misreporting of facts as drug rehabilitation facility seeks ​to stir sentiments, covering illegitimate support to cross-border ​terrorism."

Also Read: 'Only Targeted Military Installations': Over 400 Killed, 250 Wounded In Pakistani Airstrike On Kabul Hospital; Islamabad Rejects Taliban's Claim