Taliban says 400 killed in Pakistan air strike on Kabul hospital

2026-03-17 - 03:23

Firefighters work at the scene of alleged Pakistani airstrikes that hit a drug addiction treatment facility in Kabul. (EPA Images pic) KABUL: At least 400 people were killed and 250 injured in an air strike by Pakistan on a drug users rehabilitation hospital in the Afghanistan capital Kabul, a spokesman of the Afghan Taliban government said on Tuesday. Pakistan rejected the claim as false and misleading and said it “precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure” on Monday night. Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesman for the Taliban, said the air strike took place at 9pm (1630 GMT) on Monday and targeted the Omid 2,000-bed drug rehabilitation hospital. “Large parts of the hospital have been destroyed, and there are fears of heavy casualties,” he said in a post on X. “Sadly, the number of those killed has so far reached 400, with up to 250 others injured.” Rescue teams were at the scene working to control the fire and recover the victims, he added. Reuters could not verify the casualty numbers and the Pakistani military could not be reached for comment outside business hours. The Pakistani information and broadcasting ministry said the Afghan Taliban claim was “misreporting of facts”. In an overnight post on X, it said that Pakistan targeted military installations and “terrorist support infrastructure” including technical equipment storage and ammunition storage of the Afghan Taliban and Pakistani Taliban militants in Kabul and Nangarhar that were being used against Pakistani civilians. No collateral damage, says Pakistan “Pakistan’s targeting is precise and carefully undertaken to ensure no collateral damage is inflicted,”