By: The Trek News Desk
The death toll from a reported airstrike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, has risen to around 400, while nearly 250 people are said to be injured. The update was shared on Tuesday by Afghanistan’s Deputy Government Spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat through a post on the social media platform X.
According to Fitrat, the airstrike took place late Monday night and caused massive destruction to the hospital building. Large portions of the facility were reduced to rubble. Rescue teams are still working at the site, trying to control the fire and recover bodies trapped under the debris.
Afghan officials have alleged that Pakistan carried out the airstrike and that the target was a hospital in Kabul where patients were receiving treatment for drug addiction. Health Ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman told local television channels that almost the entire medical facility was destroyed in the attack.
Government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid also condemned the incident, describing it as a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty. He stated that most of the victims were patients undergoing treatment at the rehabilitation centre.
Pakistan has strongly denied the accusations. Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesperson for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, said that no hospital in Kabul was targeted during the operation.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information released a statement saying that the strikes conducted on Monday in Kabul and parts of eastern Afghanistan were aimed strictly at military installations and infrastructure used to support militant activities. The ministry emphasised that the operation was carried out with precision to avoid civilian casualties.
The incident comes amid escalating tensions between the two neighbouring countries. Earlier on Monday, reports indicated that cross-border firing in southeastern Afghanistan resulted in the deaths of four people and injuries to several others.
Officials from Afghanistan’s Khost province stated that mortar shells fired from the Pakistani side landed in several villages, damaging residential houses and causing panic among residents.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council has urged Afghanistan’s Taliban administration to intensify its efforts to combat terrorism. The council unanimously passed a resolution extending the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for another three months.
Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government of providing a haven to militant groups such as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and other insurgent organisations. Kabul has consistently rejected these claims.
In recent weeks, cross-border attacks and retaliatory airstrikes have significantly strained relations between the two countries. Pakistan has described the situation as approaching an “open war,” while Afghan authorities argue that the conflict has been imposed on them.
Experts warn that if tensions continue to escalate, the region could face a deepening humanitarian crisis in the coming days.
Source: News Agencies
