Afghanistan Accuses Pakistan Of Killing 400 In Attack On Kabul Hospital
Taliban afghanistan’s capital was struck by an air attack on a drug treatment hospital on Monday evening that killed hundreds and left parts of the facility burning, while Pakistan denied any strike on a health centre and said it targeted military sites.
Afghanistan Officials Describe Strike And Casualty Claims
The Taliban government said the raid hit a large addiction treatment hospital in Kabul, destroying large sections of the building and causing extensive civilian casualties. Government spokespeople put the death toll at up to 400 and said several hundred more were injured; other Afghan health officials earlier gave lower counts and said they feared the toll could rise. Hospital staff said thousands were being treated at the centre and warned of potentially hundreds of casualties.
Footage broadcast from the scene showed flames among the ruins of the building and people carrying victims on stretchers. Visitors at the site saw more than 30 bodies being carried out and large parts of the hospital still on fire as family members gathered outside trying to find loved ones. Rescue teams were on site working to control fires and recover bodies.
Pakistan Denies Striking Civilian Sites, Says Military Targets Were Hit
Pakistan dismissed the claim that a hospital had been hit, saying it had precisely targeted military installations and what it described as terrorist support infrastructure in Kabul and in the eastern province of Nangahar. Islamabad said the strikes were intended to hit technical equipment and ammunition storage used against Pakistani civilians and that operations were carried out to avoid collateral damage.
The Afghan government rejects that depiction and said there were no military facilities near the hospital. A security guard at the hospital described hearing jets overhead before an explosion and said military units around the site had engaged aircraft, which he said led to bombs being dropped and fires breaking out; he added that those killed and injured were civilians.
Regional Tensions, UN Figures And Immediate Fallout
The clash is the latest flare-up in a broader conflict that re‑erupted in February, when Pakistan accused Kabul of harbouring militant groups — an allegation denied by the Taliban government. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan put the wider toll from the cross-border fighting at dozens killed and many more injured since late February.
China urged calm and called for a ceasefire at the earliest opportunity after high-level diplomacy among regional officials. A recent United Nations Security Council resolution called on the Taliban government to step up efforts to combat terrorism and extended the UN political mission in Afghanistan for a further term; the resolution condemned terrorist activity but did not name Pakistan.
At the hospital scene, emergency crews continued recovery and firefighting operations, and Afghan officials warned that casualty counts remained uncertain as rescue teams worked. The dispute over what was struck has heightened tensions between the neighbours and leaves international observers and regional governments calling for restraint while the immediate humanitarian situation in Kabul unfolds.
