News Desk: Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan escalated sharply after Taliban authorities alleged that a Pakistani airstrike struck a hospital in Kabul, killing hundreds of civilians. Islamabad has strongly denied the claim, stating that its forces only targeted militant infrastructure.
According to Taliban officials, the strike hit the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul late Monday night, leaving at least 400 people dead and around 250 injured. Authorities said the hospital, a large 2,000-bed facility, was dedicated to treating drug addiction patients.
#WATCH | Taliban says 400 killed in Pakistan air strike on Kabul hospital, Pakistan rejects claim.
Video Source: Reuters pic.twitter.com/PUary0hPkJ
— DD India (@DDIndialive) March 17, 2026
Afghanistan’s deputy government spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said the airstrike took place around 9:00 PM local time, causing extensive destruction to the hospital complex. He alleged that the attack was carried out by the Pakistani military and resulted in heavy civilian casualties.
Rescuers are combing through the wreckage of a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul, where Afghan officials say a Pakistani strike has killed at least 400 people. pic.twitter.com/SoTun5Zmh2
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 17, 2026
Fitrat said rescue teams were still working through the debris, warning that the casualty toll could rise further as bodies continue to be recovered from the rubble.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the alleged attack, saying that patients undergoing treatment and other civilians were among those killed. In a statement on social media, he described the incident as a tragic loss of innocent lives.
The Pakistani military regime has once again violated Afghanistan’s airspace and targeted a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, resulting in the death and injury of addicts who were undergoing treatment.
We strongly condemn this crime and consider such an act to be against…
— Hamdullah Fitratحمدالله فطرت (@FitratHamd) March 16, 2026
Pakistan, however, rejected the accusations, insisting that its military conducted precision strikes on Taliban-linked military facilities, not civilian sites.
Security sources quoted by Pakistani media said the operation targeted technical infrastructure and ammunition depots at two locations in Kabul. Additional strikes were reportedly carried out against four Taliban-linked sites in Nangarhar province.
According to the sources, Pakistani forces destroyed logistics hubs, weapons stockpiles, and operational facilities, including what they described as a drone assembly workshop and command centres.
The sources further alleged that drones assembled at these facilities used components sourced from India and Israel, though no independent confirmation has been provided.
The conflicting claims have deepened already strained relations between the two neighbouring countries, which have witnessed weeks of cross-border clashes and aerial strikes, raising fears of a wider escalation in the region.
