Hundreds feared dead in strike on Kabul hospital

Hundreds of people are feared dead following an air strike on a drug treatment hospital in Afghanistan that the Taliban government blamed on Pakistan, as conflict between the neighbours threatens to escalate into outright war.

Hamdullah Fitrat, the Taliban’s deputy spokesperson, said in a post on X early on Tuesday that the Pakistani military “carried out an air strike” on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul, a 2,000-bed facility dedicated to treating drug addicts.

“As a result of the attack, large sections of the hospital have been destroyed, and there are serious concerns about a high number of casualties,” he added.

“Unfortunately, the death toll has so far reached 400, while around 250 others have been reported injured.”

The Afghan Red Crescent posted videos on X of their rescue teams tending to the “martyred and wounded” on stretchers, while rescue operations continued on Tuesday.

The UN head for Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, said on social media that he was “dismayed” by fresh reports of “Pakistan airstrikes” in Afghanistan “resulting in civilian casualties”. 

Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesperson for Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, denied the Afghan allegations, describing them as part of the “Taliban’s constant lies”.

Information minister Attaullah Tarar added that the Pakistani armed forces “successfully carried out precision air strikes” targeting what he called “Afghan Taliban regime terrorism sponsoring military installations”, including in Kabul.

The attack is one of the most deadly yet in a conflict that began last year after relations between Pakistan and the Taliban deteriorated, as Islamabad battles two increasingly violent insurgencies in border regions that it claims receive support from Kabul.