A devastating airstrike hit a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, leaving at least 400 dead and hundreds more injured, according to the Afghan government, marking one of the deadliest incidents in the recent escalation of the conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The affected facility, known as the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, located near Kabul International Airport, was housing hundreds of patients when the strikes occurred. Afghan authorities, including official spokespeople, reported that the death toll exceeds 400, with around 250 injured, though these numbers have not been independently verified.
The Afghan government—now under Taliban control—accused Pakistan of carrying out the bombing directly against the hospital, calling it a crime against humanity and a violation of international law for targeting a civilian facility. Witnesses reported scenes of chaos, fires, and rescuers searching for survivors amid the rubble.
Pakistan, for its part, denied deliberately targeting a hospital or civilian facilities, claiming its strikes were directed exclusively at military infrastructure and alleged militant bases as part of operations against insurgent groups reportedly operating from Afghan territory.
The incident comes amid a growing conflict between the two countries, involving military exchanges following mutual accusations of harboring and supporting extremist groups. The violence has displaced thousands of civilians and further strained the fragile regional stability.
The international community, including the United Nations, has expressed alarm over the high number of civilian casualties, urging all parties to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians and medical infrastructure. The UN specifically reminded that hospitals must be respected in any conflict.
This attack on one of the few specialized treatment centers in Kabul not only represents a major humanitarian tragedy but also threatens to further escalate regional tensions and turn the conflict into a broader crisis if hostilities are not halted.
