At Least 400 Killed in Attack on Hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan

At least 400 people have been killed and more than 250 injured in an airstrike on a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, officials said, marking one of the deadliest single incidents in the escalating conflict between Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan.

Afghan authorities reported that the strike hit the Omid drug rehabilitation hospital late on Monday night, March 16, destroying large sections of the facility that was treating patients undergoing addiction treatment. The Taliban‑led health ministry said the toll included many civilians and patients inside the centre at the time of the attack.

The Afghan government has accused Pakistan of carrying out the airstrike, saying that fighter jets bombed the facility, which it described as serving thousands of patients and lacking nearby military targets. Ambulances and emergency responders were seen at the scene early Tuesday as crews worked to recover bodies from the rubble amid scenes of fire and devastation.

However, Pakistan has rejected the allegation, asserting that its military conducted precision strikes only against militant infrastructure and military objectives in Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan. Islamabad’s officials labelled the Afghan claims as false and misleading, accusing the Taliban of inflating civilian casualty figures and misidentifying targets.

The United Nations and international actors have expressed deep concern over the attack, calling for restraint and the protection of civilians amid a conflict that has rapidly intensified along the Afghan‑Pakistan border in recent weeks. China has urged both sides to resume negotiations and avoid further escalation, while India condemned the violence, emphasising the especially grave nature of the strike during the holy month of Ramadan.

The hospital — established to provide rehabilitation services as well as vocational training — was reportedly filled with patients at the time of the strike. Eyewitnesses described chaotic scenes of smoke, fire and frantic rescue efforts as emergency teams combed the wreckage for survivors and the dead.

The incident is likely to heighten tensions between the two neighbouring nations, which share a long and often volatile border, and adds to broader regional instability affecting South and Central Asia.

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