KABUL, Afghanistan — Rescue operations continued through Tuesday morning at the site of a devastating airstrike that demolished a major drug rehabilitation center in the Afghan capital, with officials reporting approximately 400 fatalities and 250 injuries. The Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, a 2,000-bed facility, was reportedly struck around 9 p.m. local time Monday, leaving large sections of the building in ruins.
Afghan authorities have directly accused Pakistan of conducting the lethal strike, characterizing it as a deliberate attack on civilian infrastructure. Deputy government spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat stated the death toll had ‘so far reached 400 people’ in a social media post, though official numbers remained unverified by Tuesday morning. Local media footage showed emergency personnel using flashlights to extract casualties from rubble as firefighters battled persistent flames.
Pakistan has categorically denied targeting any medical facility, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s spokesperson dismissing the allegations as ‘baseless.’ Information Minister Attaullah Tarar asserted that Pakistani military operations exclusively targeted ‘technical support infrastructure and ammunition storage facilities’ used by Afghan Taliban forces to support ‘terror proxies.’
The incident marks a severe escalation in cross-border hostilities that began in late February, representing the most intense fighting between the neighboring nations in years. The conflict has continued despite international calls for de-escalation, with both sides exchanging fire along their shared border for three consecutive weeks.
The United Nations Security Council had earlier called on Afghanistan’s Taliban administration to intensify counterterrorism efforts hours before the hospital strike. Pakistan maintains that Kabul provides sanctuary to militant groups including the Pakistani Taliban and Baloch separatist organizations, allegations Afghan authorities consistently deny.
With Pakistan declaring itself in ‘open war’ with Afghanistan and the Taliban administration accusing Pakistan of crossing ‘red lines,’ the regional conflict has drawn concern from global observers worried about potential resurgence of other militant groups in the area, including al-Qaida and Islamic State affiliates.