Kabul: Afghanistan has accused Pakistan of carrying out a deadly airstrike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in the Afghan capital Kabul, killing at least 400 people and injuring around 250 others, in what officials describe as one of the deadliest attacks in the country in recent years.
According to officials from Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government, the strike hit the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, a large rehabilitation facility that reportedly had thousands of patients undergoing treatment for substance abuse. The attack took place late Monday evening and caused massive destruction to the complex, triggering fires and trapping many victims under the rubble.
Afghan authorities said most of the victims were civilians and patients staying at the hospital. Rescue teams worked through the night to recover bodies and search for survivors from the damaged buildings.
However, Pakistan has strongly denied targeting a hospital or civilian facility. Pakistani officials said the airstrikes were aimed only at military installations and terrorist infrastructure in Kabul and eastern Afghanistan. Islamabad described Kabul’s accusations as “false and misleading.”
The incident marks a sharp escalation in tensions between the two neighbouring countries, which have been exchanging accusations over cross-border militancy and militant safe havens in recent weeks.
The United Nations and several countries have expressed concern over the reports of heavy civilian casualties and urged both sides to exercise restraint and avoid further escalation in the already volatile region.
