Kabul Drug Rehabilitation Hospital Hit by Air Strike
Dozens of people are feared dead or injured after an air strike struck a drug treatment centre in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban government blamed Pakistan for the attack, which occurred on Monday evening.
The hospital, treating more than 3,000 patients, suffered significant damage, and hospital officials warn that casualties could number in the hundreds.
Government spokesman Sharafat Zaman Amarkhail confirmed that there are no military facilities near the hospital.
Pakistan Denies Targeting Hospital
Pakistan’s information ministry rejected claims of striking the rehabilitation centre, stating that its operations targeted military installations and what it described as “terrorist support infrastructure” in Kabul and the eastern province of Nangarhar.
Residents reported hearing loud explosions across Kabul around 20:50 local time (16:20 GMT), followed by the noise of aircraft and air defense systems.
Hospital staff and family members gathered outside, desperately searching for information about loved ones inside the damaged facility.
Rising Tensions Between Afghanistan and Pakistan
Cross-border tensions between the two countries escalated last month. Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of sheltering militant groups, a claim the Taliban government denies.
Since 26 February, ongoing cross-border fighting has killed at least 75 people and injured 193 in Afghanistan, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
These clashes continue despite a fragile ceasefire agreement reached in October.
Humanitarian Impact
Witnesses at the hospital saw parts of the building still ablaze, with more than 30 bodies carried out on stretchers. Families remain outside in shock, awaiting news on patients who were receiving treatment at the time of the attack.
The strike has sparked international concern over civilian casualties and the safety of non-military facilities amid ongoing regional tensions.
