Afghanistan Alleges Pakistan Airstrike on Kabul Hospital; 400 Dead, 250 Injured

Kabul Hospital Strike: Death Toll Hits 400, Pakistan Rejects Civilian Targeting Claims

The death toll from a reported Pakistani airstrike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul has risen to 400, according to Afghanistan’s deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat. Around 250 people were also injured in the strike, which reportedly devastated large portions of the facility late Monday.

Fitrat said emergency teams were continuing rescue operations, working to extinguish fires and retrieve bodies from the rubble. Earlier, Health Ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman had estimated over 200 deaths, stating that “all parts” of the hospital were destroyed.

Afghanistan’s chief spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid condemned the strike as a violation of the country’s sovereignty, adding that most of the victims were patients receiving treatment at the center.

Pakistan, however, denied the allegations, asserting that its airstrikes targeted militant infrastructure rather than civilian sites. Officials said the operation focused on terrorist facilities, including storage and ammunition locations, and was conducted with precision to avoid collateral damage. Islamabad dismissed Kabul’s claims as “false and misleading.”

The incident comes amid a sharp escalation in cross-border tensions. Clashes along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border have intensified, with both sides reporting civilian casualties. Afghan officials said mortar shelling from Pakistan hit villages in Khost province, killing four people, including two children. Meanwhile, Pakistan reported that a mortar fired from Afghanistan struck a home in Bajaur, killing four members of a family.

The violence marks one of the deadliest periods of confrontation between the two countries in recent years.

The United Nations Security Council has raised concerns over the escalating situation, urging Afghanistan’s Taliban-led administration to strengthen counterterrorism efforts while extending the mandate of its political mission in the country.

As tensions deepen, both sides continue to trade accusations—Pakistan alleging militant safe havens in Afghanistan, and Kabul rejecting those claims while accusing Islamabad of aggression.