Afghanistan’s Taliban government has claimed that at least 400 people were killed and more than 250 others injured in an airstrike carried out by Pakistan on a hospital treating drug users in the capital, Kabul. Pakistan has dismissed the accusation, stating that the strikes did not target any civilian facilities.
Afghanistan Government spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said in a post on X that the airstrike destroyed large sections of the hospital. Rescue teams were working to control the fire at the site and recover the bodies of victims.
Another spokesperson, Zabiullah Mujahid, claimed that most of those killed and injured were patients undergoing treatment at the facility.
Islamabad rejected the allegations, saying the strikes “precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure, including technical equipment storage and ammunition depots belonging to the Afghan Taliban,” according to Pakistan’s Ministry of Information.
The ministry added that the operation was “precise and carefully undertaken to ensure that no collateral damage was inflicted.”
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The alleged airstrike comes as the deadliest fighting between the neighboring countries in years has entered its third week, with both sides exchanging fire along their shared border.
According to Khaama Press, Pakistan carried out heavy bombardment targeting Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, on Monday. The report said Pakistani aircraft also bombed a Taliban military facility in the Ghani Khel district of Nangarhar province late Monday evening.
The strikes reportedly came after Taliban forces launched drone attacks on areas inside Pakistan, escalating tensions and triggering retaliatory strikes along the border.
Videos shared by residents showed large explosions and fires in different parts of Kabul, while eyewitnesses said the intensity of the blasts shook the city.
The latest escalation came hours after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling on Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities to step up efforts to combat terrorism. Pakistan has repeatedly accused Kabul of harboring militant groups, particularly the Pakistani Taliban, which it says carry out attacks inside Pakistan.