Afghanistan’s Taliban government said on Tuesday that a Pakistani air strike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul killed more than 400 people and injured 265, marking a sharp escalation in tensions between the neighboring countries.
The site of a drug users rehabilitation hospital that was destroyed in what the Taliban said was a Pakistani air strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Sayed Hassib
The Taliban spokesman reported that the attack targeted the state-run Omid hospital, a 2,000-bed facility providing treatment and vocational training for drug users. Witnesses described devastation at the site, with flames engulfing buildings, personal belongings scattered, and bodies being carried away by rescue teams.
Red Crescent volunteers carry a body of a victim, who died in what the Taliban said was a Pakistani air strike on a drug users rehabilitation hospital, in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Sayed Hassib
“The whole place caught fire. It was like doomsday,” said Ahmad, 50, a survivor to Reuters. Ambulance driver Haji Fahim added that bodies were still being recovered under the rubble the following morning.
Pakistan strongly rejected the claims, calling them false and misleading. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated that the strikes had “precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure.” He added that secondary detonations indicated the presence of large ammunition depots. A spokesman for Pakistan’s prime minister called Afghan claims “constant lies” and affirmed that counter-terrorism operations would continue until militant threats were eliminated.
Wali Khan, who got injured in what the Taliban said was a Pakistani air strike on a drug users rehabilitation hospital, sits on a bed after getting treatment at a hospital, in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Sayed Hassib TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
The incident comes amid wider instability in South Asia and the Middle East, including ongoing U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran. The conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which share a 2,600-kilometre border, began last month and has seen periodic escalation despite attempts at mediation by countries such as China.
China reiterated its call for calm and de-escalation, emphasizing the protection of personnel and projects in the region. India, which has strengthened ties with the Taliban, condemned the air strike, highlighting that it occurred during Ramadan, “a time of peace, reflection, and mercy among Muslim communities across the world.”
People walk next to the debris lying inside a drug users rehabilitation hospital destroyed in what the Taliban said was a Pakistani air strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Sayed Hassib
Through the conflict, both sides have accused the other of heavy losses, but independent verification of casualty numbers has been impossible. Afghanistan maintains that Pakistan’s air strikes violate its sovereignty and primarily target civilians, while Islamabad insists Kabul harbors militants launching attacks on Pakistan.
