At least 400 people have been killed and 250 injured in an air strike by Pakistan on a drug users rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban government has said.
Pakistan rejected the claim as false and misleading and said it “precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure” on Monday night.
The air strike came hours after China said it remained ready to continue efforts to ease tension between the South Asian Islamic nations and urged both to avoid expanding the war and return to the negotiating table.
The conflict that began last month is the worst ever between the neighbours who share a 2,600km border. It had ebbed amid attempts by friendly countries, including China, to mediate and end the fighting before flaring up again.
At the site, a blackened single-storey structure bore the marks of flames. In other places, buildings were reduced to heaps of wood and metal, with only a few bunk beds still intact in some, while blankets, personal belongings and bedding were strewn about.
“When I arrived [last night], I saw that everything was burning, people were burning,” ambulance driver Haji Fahim told the Reuters news agency. “Early in the morning they called me again and told me to come back because there are still bodies under the rubble.”
Ambulances and police vehicles were parked near the gate of the damaged facility, which a sign identified as a “drug addiction treatment hospital” with 1,000 beds, while security personnel maintained guard.
Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesman for the Taliban, said the air strike took place at 9pm on Monday and hit the state-run Omid hospital, which he said was a 2,000-bed drug rehabilitation centre.
“Large parts of the hospital have been destroyed and there are fears of heavy casualties,” he said in a post on X. “Sadly, the number of those killed has so far reached 400, with up to 250 others injured.”
Rescue teams were at the scene working to control the fire and recover the victims, he added.
Reuters could not verify the casualty numbers and the Pakistani military could not be reached for comment outside business hours.
The Pakistani Information and Broadcasting Ministry 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.”
Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in Afghanistan, said he was “dismayed” by fresh reports of Pakistani air strikes and resulting civilian deaths.
“My condolences. I urge parties to de-escalate, exercise maximum restraint and respect international law, including the protection of civilians and civilian objects such as hospitals,” he said in a post on X.
