Airstrike on Kabul Drug Rehab Hospital Kills Over 400 Amid Escalating Conflict
Rescuers recovered more bodies from the rubble of a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul on Tuesday, after officials reported that an overnight airstrike killed more than 400 people. This incident marks a dramatic escalation in the conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan, now entering its third week.
Pakistan has rejected Afghanistan's accusation that it targeted the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, insisting its strikes across eastern Afghanistan on Monday were aimed at military facilities. It dismissed Afghan claims of hundreds of casualties as propaganda. The casualties were taken to several hospitals in the area, where crowds gathered to search for loved ones among the injured and dead. Independent confirmation of the death toll remains challenging.
Conflict Background and Accusations
The conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan has seen repeated cross-border clashes and airstrikes inside Afghanistan, despite international calls for a ceasefire. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of providing a safe haven for militants, particularly the Pakistani Taliban, who carry out attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul denies these charges, asserting its commitment to stability.
Afghanistan's deputy government spokesperson, Hamdullah Fitrat, posted on X that the airstrike hit the Omid hospital, a 2,000-bed facility in Kabul, at about 9 p.m. local time, destroying large sections. Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani confirmed 408 deaths and 265 injuries. Local television footage showed security forces using flashlights to carry casualties while firefighters struggled to extinguish flames.
Hospital Details and Location Controversy
The Omid hospital was renamed and expanded from the Ibn Sina Drug Addiction Treatment Hospital roughly a year ago as part of government efforts to combat drug addiction in Afghanistan. Located near Kabul's international airport, it is adjacent to a former NATO military base, Camp Phoenix, which was used by U.S. forces to train the Afghan National Army and later taken over by Afghanistan's new authorities after the Taliban seized power.
A reporter for The Associated Press near the site at the time of the strike reported hearing a military jet fly overhead followed by a powerful explosion. Pakistan's Information Ministry stated in an X post that the Pakistani military had precisely targeted Camp Phoenix, describing it as a military terrorist ammunition and equipment storage site. However, it claimed the hospital was multiple kilometers away and accused Afghan officials of lying, noting Google Maps shows another location labeled as Camp Phoenix east of Kabul city.
The ministry questioned, Another important question also lingers, as to why would an alleged drug rehabilitation facility be colocated with lethal ammunition storage site in a military camp? This also remains unanswered.
Responses and Humanitarian Impact
Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, speaking during a meeting with foreign ambassadors in Kabul, insisted his country desires stability but will defend itself if war is imposed. Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the strike, accusing Pakistan of targeting hospitals and civilian sites to perpetrate horrors and stating those killed were innocent civilians and addicts.
Rescue team worker Allah Mohammad Farooq described the scene, saying, When we arrived here, everyone was buried under the rubble. We then used a crane to pull them out. Most of the people were dead, and many are still trapped under the debris. A man named Haji Najibullah, whose son and relatives were patients, broke down in tears, expressing uncertainty about survivors.
To assist desperate relatives searching local hospitals, Afghan authorities published a list of 500 people they said were safe and had been at the treatment center.
International Calls for Ceasefire and Investigation
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan called for an immediate ceasefire, expressing deepest condolences to the families of those killed in what it described as an airstrike impacting a healthcare facility. Thameen Al-Kheetan, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called for an investigation and accountability in line with international standards. He noted that since fighting began in late February, 289 Afghan civilians, including 104 children, have been killed or injured, with tens of thousands displaced.
In Islamabad, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar rejected Afghanistan's accusations as entirely baseless, stating Pakistan targeted facilities used for terrorist activities and that strikes were precise, deliberate and professional, with no civilian facilities targeted.
Conflict Escalation and Regional Concerns
The fighting, the most severe between the two neighbors, began in late February after Afghanistan launched cross-border attacks in response to Pakistani airstrikes. This disrupted a ceasefire brokered by Qatar in October, following earlier clashes that killed dozens. Pakistan has declared it is in open war with Afghanistan, alarming the international community, especially given the presence of other militant organizations like al-Qaida and the Islamic State group in the region.
