Kabul, 17 March (H.S.): A devastating Pakistani airstrike has obliterated a major drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, claiming at least 400 lives and injuring over 250 others in what Afghan authorities describe as the deadliest single assault in the nation's recent history.
The attack struck at approximately 9 p.m. local time on Monday, razing large sections of the 2,000-bed facility and trapping recovering addicts amid the rubble, according to statements from Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid. He condemned the strike as a crime against humanity, accusing Pakistan's military of deliberately violating Afghan airspace to target civilian infrastructure.
Afghanistan's deputy government spokesperson, Hamdullah Fitrat, corroborated the scale of destruction, noting the hospital's role in treating thousands amid ongoing regional addiction crises exacerbated by years of conflict.
Pakistan swiftly rejected the allegations, labeling them baseless and asserting that its forces executed precision operations against Taliban-linked military targets in Kabul and Nangarhar province.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar specified that the strikes neutralized technical support infrastructure and ammunition storage facilities used to bolster terror proxies, emphasizing no civilian sites were hit.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has escalated rhetoric, declaring an open war with Afghanistan as border skirmishes enter their third week, following earlier cross-border exchanges that killed four Afghans.This incident shatters a Qatar-brokered ceasefire from last October and revives longstanding tensions rooted in mutual accusations of harboring militants.
The Taliban has pledged a robust response, while international observers warn of broader destabilization in South Asia, potentially drawing in regional powers.
Casualty figures remain unverified amid conflicting reports, but the hospital's annihilation underscores the fragility of civilian protections in the escalating Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
