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

New Delhi: In a dramatic escalation of the 'open war' currently unfolding between the neighbouring nations, an Afghan Taliban spokesperson claimed on Monday that a Pakistani airstrike decimated a Kabul drug rehabilitation hospital in Afghanistan. 

The strike, which reportedly left 400 dead and 250 wounded, follows weeks of intensifying cross-border fire and underscores the collapse of previous ceasefire efforts. 

While Kabul condemns the act as a crime against humanity, Islamabad maintains it strictly targeted military infrastructure used by militants.

Pakistani military carried airstrike 

Commenting on the harrowing incident, Deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Hamdullah Fitrat said the death toll from the previous night's bombardment by Pakistan's military on a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul has risen to 400, while 250 people were injured.

Hamdullah Fitrat, in a post on X, confirmed the figures and said that the Pakistani military carried out an airstrike around 9:00 PM on the 2,000-bed Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital. Large sections of the facility were destroyed, and the rescue teams are at the site working to control the fire and recover bodies.

"The Pakistani military regime carried out an airstrike at approximately 9:00 PM this evening on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, a 2,000-bed facility dedicated to the treatment of drug addiction. As a result of the attack, large sections of the hospital have been destroyed, and there are serious concerns about a high number of casualties. Unfortunately, the death toll has so far reached 400, while around 250 others have been reported injured. Rescue teams are currently at the scene working to control the fire and recover the remaining bodies of the victims," Fitrat wrote on X.

Loud blasts rock Kabul

As per residents in different parts of the city, loud blasts were heard around 9:00 pm local time with plumes of smoke visible from the Shahr-e-Naw and Wazir Akabar Khan areas.

Furthermore, fighter jets were heard flying at low altitude over western Kabul shortly after the explosions and were struggling to extinguish the flames among the ruins of the building.

Islamabad rejects allegations

Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s spokesman, Mosharraf Zaidi, dismissed the allegations terming them as “false and aimed at misleading public opinion”, saying it only targeted military installations in Kabul and the province of Nangahar on Monday.

In a post on X, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information said the strikes had “precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure, including technical equipment storage and ammunition storage of Afghan Taliban” and Afghanistan-based Pakistani fighters in Kabul and Nangarhar. It added that the facilities were being used against innocent Pakistani civilians.

Pakistan’s targeting was “precise and carefully undertaken to ensure no collateral damage is inflicted”, the ministry said.

People express solidarity

Following the strikes, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, voiced concern over the civilian casualties caused by the attack on the drug treatment facility, as reported by Tolo News.

Furthermore, the International Human Rights Foundation has also condemned the attack, stressing that public facilities such as hospitals and treatment centres should never be targeted. 

The organisation called on the international community to carry out an independent investigation into the incident and ensure accountability for those responsible. 

The International Human Rights Foundation described attacks on hospitals and other public spaces as a clear violation of international law and urged the global community not to remain silent on the matter, as reported by Tolo News.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan cricketer Rashid Khan also expressed deep sorrow over reports of civilian casualties from Pakistani airstrikes in Kabul, calling the targeting of homes, educational institutions, and medical facilities a war crime. 

He urged the United Nations and human rights organisations to investigate the incident and hold those responsible accountable, while expressing solidarity with the Afghan people during the difficult time.

Deadly clashes along the country

Fighting between the two nations erupted last month when Pakistan launched air strikes in Afghanistan that Islamabad said were targeting armed groups. ⁠Afghanistan called the strikes a violation of its sovereignty and ⁠launched its own attacks.

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.

Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Sunday that the military has killed 684 Afghan Taliban forces, a claim rejected by Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government, which says casualties are far lower. 

Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry and other officials have said Afghanistan has killed more than 100 Pakistani soldiers.

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