Deadly Airstrike Hits Kabul Hospital
Afghanistan’s health ministry has reported a preliminary death toll of 200 following an airstrike on a hospital in Kabul that treats drug users. The Afghan government has accused Pakistan’s military of conducting the strike, which Pakistan denies, asserting that no civilian sites were targeted.
Sharafat Zaman, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s health ministry, stated in a televised interview posted on X that the entire drug treatment hospital was destroyed. Government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid also shared the interview video, while local television showed footage of firefighters battling flames amid the building’s ruins.
AFP reporters at the scene counted at least 30 bodies as medical teams assisted the wounded, who were transported to multiple hospitals, according to a rescue operation source.
Context of Border Clashes
The alleged attack occurred hours after Afghan officials reported cross-border fire between Afghanistan and Pakistan, resulting in four deaths in Afghanistan. This marks the third week of the deadliest fighting between the neighboring countries in years.
Mujahid condemned the strike on X prior to the full death toll being known, stating it violated Afghan territory and that most casualties were patients receiving treatment at the hospital.
Pakistan Denies Targeting Hospital
A spokesperson for Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif dismissed the allegations as unfounded, denying that any hospital in Kabul was targeted.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information posted on X that the strikes precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure, including technical equipment and ammunition storage used by the Afghan Taliban and Pakistan-based militants in Kabul and Nangarhar. The ministry claimed these facilities were used to launch attacks against Pakistani civilians.
The ministry emphasized that the strikes were carefully executed to avoid collateral damage and described Mujahid’s claims as false and misleading, intended to stir sentiment and obscure what Pakistan calls Afghanistan’s illegitimate support for cross-border terrorism.
Humanitarian Impact and Witness Accounts
Dejan Panic, Afghan director of the Italian NGO Emergency, reported receiving three bodies after Monday night’s strike and treating 27 wounded.
Witnesses described severe damage to the hospital, with parts collapsing after the strike. Firefighters struggled to control the fire while rescue teams searched the rubble for survivors, with efforts hampered overnight by poor visibility.
“We were inside the wards when the explosion happened,” said Yousaf Rahim. “My bed was in the corner, and I suffered injuries to my leg and thigh. It was a horrific scene. Patients fell from their beds, screaming and running as fire and smoke filled the wards and rooms.”
“Thick smoke and dust spread throughout the hospital,” he added. “Many people lay on the ground. Dozens died instantly, and the critically injured were pleading for help. I didn’t know what to do. I stepped over bodies and managed to escape outside.”
Fereshta Abbasi, a researcher for Human Rights Watch, expressed concern over reports of mass casualties and called for a prompt investigation. She emphasized that civilian facilities must never be targeted or exposed to disproportionate attacks.
International Response and Security Council Resolution
The incident followed a UN Security Council resolution urging Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to intensify efforts against terrorism. Pakistan accuses Kabul of harboring militant groups, particularly the Pakistani Taliban, which it alleges carry out attacks inside Pakistan.
The resolution, adopted unanimously, did not mention Pakistan by name but condemned all terrorist activity in the strongest terms. It also extended the UN political mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for three months.
Pakistan frequently accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of providing safe haven to the Pakistani Taliban, designated a terrorist organization by the US, as well as to banned Baloch separatist groups and other militants targeting Pakistani security forces and civilians. Kabul denies these allegations.
Recent Border Violence
Earlier on Monday, Afghan officials reported that four people, including two children, were killed and 10 others wounded in southeastern Afghanistan during cross-border exchanges of fire. Mortar shells fired from Pakistan struck villages in Khost province, destroying several homes, according to Mustaghfar Gurbaz, spokesperson for the provincial governor.
On Sunday, Pakistan reported that a mortar fired from Afghanistan hit a house in Bajaur district, killing four family members and wounding two others, including a five-year-old child. Residents and officials stated that Pakistan’s military targeted Afghan positions along the border on Monday, where the Sunday attack originated.
Pakistan has not immediately commented on the latest incidents but has repeatedly stated that its military only targets Afghan posts and militant hideouts.
Escalation of Conflict
Islamabad has described the situation as an “open war.” The cross-border clashes have included multiple Pakistani airstrikes on Kabul.
The fighting escalated after Afghanistan launched cross-border attacks in response to Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan, which Kabul said resulted in civilian casualties. These clashes disrupted a ceasefire brokered by Qatar in October, following earlier fighting that killed dozens of soldiers, civilians, and suspected militants.
Haroon Janjua contributed additional reporting.
