Airstrike in Kabul Hits Drug Rehabilitation Centre, Dozens Dead

A humanitarian tragedy has struck Afghanistan’s capital after a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul became the target of an airstrike on Monday evening, 16 March. The Taliban government has accused Pakistan of responsibility for the attack, which is feared to have claimed dozens of lives.

A Taliban government spokesperson confirmed via X platform that the medical facility was struck by a massive explosion on Monday evening, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries. As of Tuesday morning, medical personnel were still attempting to evacuate casualties from the building’s rubble.

Pakistan’s Information Ministry denied having targeted the health facility. Pakistan claimed its military operations were solely aimed at military installations and what it described as “terrorist-supporting infrastructure” in Kabul and Nangarhar Province in eastern Afghanistan.

However, ground facts presented a different picture. BBC correspondents visiting the site reported that parts of the hospital remained ablaze. At least 30 bodies were seen being evacuated on stretchers from the destroyed building.

According to hospital officials, the facility was treating approximately 2,000 patients at the time of the attack. Given the large patient capacity, health officials feared the death toll could reach hundreds.

Afghanistan’s Health Ministry spokesperson, Sharafat Zaman Amarkhail, told the BBC that claims of military targets at the location were baseless. He stated that no military facilities were located near the hospital area.

Local residents reported hearing a loud explosion across Kabul at approximately 20:50 local time, followed by aircraft sounds and air defence system activity. Outside the hospital, the atmosphere turned grim as families of patients gathered seeking information about the fate of their loved ones.

This strike represents the pinnacle of renewed tensions between the two neighbouring countries that have escalated since last month. Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of harbouring militant groups, an allegation repeatedly denied by the Taliban government.

Data from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) records that at least 75 people have been killed and 193 others injured in Afghanistan from cross-border clashes continuing since 26 February. This escalation occurred despite the two sides having agreed to a fragile ceasefire in October of the previous year.