Afghanistan says Pakistan hit Kabul rehab center killing 408, Islamabad rejects claim

Afghanistan says Pakistan hit Kabul rehab center killing 408, Islamabad rejects claim

Over 400 individuals perished and 265 sustained injuries in a Pakistan airstrike targeting a drug rehabilitation facility in Kabul, according to an Afghan Taliban spokesperson. This marks the most severe incident since hostilities resumed between the nations in October 2025. Islamabad has dismissed the claim as false, asserting it struck “military installations and terrorist support infrastructure” with precision.

Conflicting Narratives

The attack occurred shortly after China expressed readiness to mediate talks to ease the escalating dispute. Qatar, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia had earlier failed to broker peace. Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi stated that Afghanistan now doubts Pakistan’s commitment to a diplomatic resolution, per his office’s declaration.

“The visible secondary detonations after the strikes clearly indicate the presence of large ammunition depots,” said Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar in a post on X.

Hamdullah Fitrat, the Taliban’s deputy spokesperson, claimed the strike targeted the state-run Omid Hospital, a 2,000-bed facility used for drug treatment. However, the Pakistani government insists it hit Camp Phoenix, a “military terrorist ammunition and equipment storage site,” which it described as miles away from the hospital.

Location and Context

Kabul residents, including a Reuters reporter, noted that the abandoned NATO base was repurposed a decade ago into a drug treatment center, known locally as Omid Camp or “camp of hope.” While the official name is “Ibn Sina Drug Addiction Treatment Hospital,” locals distinguish it from the former military site, which was allegedly the target.

Witnesses reported hearing three explosions during evening prayers at the center, with two hitting rooms and patient areas. “The whole place caught fire. It was like doomsday,” said Ahmad, 5, describing the chaos. The site left behind a blackened single-story building, flames still visible, and structures reduced to heaps of debris.

Casualties and Verification

Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qanie confirmed 408 fatalities and 265 injuries. Most victims were civilians and addicts, as noted by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. At least 102 bodies were transported to Kabul’s Forensic Medical Department, though Reuters could not independently verify the casualty figures.

“We visited the hospital treating addicts in Kabul this morning and found hundreds of civilians dead and injured,” stated the Norwegian Refugee Council in a statement.

“There were many families there trying to find their loved ones,” said Susan Ferguson, UN Women Special Representative in Afghanistan, during a New York briefing via video link.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported dozens of casualties and urged immediate de-escalation. Meanwhile, the EU highlighted that civilian and medical sites are protected under international law, calling the strike “another deadly escalation in a conflict that needs to end as soon as possible.”