Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of Kabul hospital strike
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- Afghanistan says a Pakistani airstrike hit a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, killing about 400 people and injuring 250.
- Pakistan denies targeting the hospital, saying its jets struck military sites and infrastructure supporting militants.
Afghanistan has accused Pakistan of carrying out an airstrike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in the capital Kabul, killing about 400 people and wounding at least 250, in one of the deadliest incidents in the recent escalation between the two neighbors.
Afghan officials said the strike hit the Omid rehabilitation hospital, a facility that treats drug addicts, late Monday night, causing massive destruction and fires inside the building.
Rescue teams search through rubble
Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Afghan government, said the attack destroyed large sections of the hospital complex.
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In a post on X, he said rescue teams were working to control fires and recover victims trapped under the rubble.
Images circulating on social media and local television showed firefighters battling flames while security personnel and rescuers used flashlights to search through the debris and carry out the wounded.
Afghan government condemns strike
Government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the attack, accusing Pakistan of targeting civilian infrastructure.
"We strongly condemn this crime and consider such an act contrary to all accepted principles and a crime against humanity," he wrote on X.
Officials in Kabul also released footage showing extensive damage inside the hospital wards, with debris scattered across treatment rooms.
Pakistan denies targeting hospital
Pakistan rejected the accusations, describing them as "false and misleading".
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A Pakistani military source said fighter jets had carried out precision strikes late Monday on what it called military installations and terrorist support infrastructure in Kabul.
The source added that the attacks targeted two sites, including a weapons depot and other facilities allegedly linked to militants.
Escalation between the neighbors
The conflicting accounts come amid a growing wave of tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan in recent weeks.
Pakistan has conducted several airstrikes inside Afghanistan, accusing the Taliban-led government of sheltering militants responsible for cross-border attacks.
Earlier Monday, Afghan officials said Pakistani warplanes also bombed areas in four Afghan provinces, while strikes reportedly hit a fuel tank belonging to the national airline near Kandahar airport.
Afghan security sources later said Afghan forces responded with a drone attack on a military fortress in Kohat, in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, targeting barracks, ammunition depots, and a command center.
The latest exchange signals a sharp escalation that could further destabilize relations between the two countries.
