Afghanistan on Tuesday accused Pakistan of launching airstrikes on a Kabul hospital treating drug addicts, claiming the attack killed more than 400 people.
Pakistan rejected the allegation, maintaining that its strikes—also conducted in eastern Afghanistan—were aimed solely at military targets and what it described as “terrorist” sites.
Health Ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman initially reported the casualties during a television interview, stating that the hospital had been completely destroyed. Deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat later said the death toll had risen to 400, with at least 250 people injured.
Explosions were reported around 9:00 p.m. local time in Kabul, with smoke seen rising from the Shahr-e-Naw and Wazir Akbar Khan areas. Television footage showed firefighters battling flames in the wreckage of the building.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on X that Pakistan had “once again violated Afghan territory,” calling the strikes “a crime” and an “act of inhumanity.” He added that most of the victims were patients undergoing treatment at the facility.
In response, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information said the operation “precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure,” including storage sites for equipment and ammunition linked to Afghan Taliban and Pakistan-based militants in Kabul and Nangarhar. It claimed these locations were being used to launch attacks on Pakistani civilians.
The ministry insisted the strikes were carefully executed to avoid civilian casualties and dismissed Mujahid’s statements as “false and misleading,” accusing Kabul of deflecting from what it called support for cross-border militancy.
Tensions between the two countries have escalated in recent weeks, with Pakistan conducting multiple strikes in Afghanistan amid accusations that the Taliban government is sheltering militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan.
The latest incident comes as clashes continue along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Pakistani officials have described the situation as an “open war,” citing repeated exchanges of fire and airstrikes. President Asif Ali Zardari recently said Afghanistan had crossed a “red line” by deploying drones that injured civilians in Pakistan.
Over the weekend, Pakistan said it targeted equipment storage and technical infrastructure in Kandahar province allegedly used for attacks inside its territory. Afghan authorities, however, said the strikes hit two sites, including an unused security facility and a drug rehabilitation centre that suffered minor damage.
Afghanistan’s administrative deputy prime minister Abdul Salam Hanafi said protecting national sovereignty is the responsibility of all citizens. Speaking at a meeting with analysts and media representatives in Kabul, he expressed regret over civilian casualties and said the conflict had been imposed on Afghanistan.
