**Afghanistan Accuses Pakistan of Deadly Airstrike on Kabul Hospital Amid Escalating Conflict**
*Kabul, Afghanistan* — Afghanistan has accused Pakistan of launching an airstrike that targeted a hospital for drug users in the Afghan capital late Monday, resulting in at least 400 deaths. This devastating strike marks a significant escalation in the conflict that began late last month, involving repeated cross-border clashes and airstrikes inside Afghanistan. Despite international calls for a ceasefire, the violence continues unabated.
Afghanistan’s deputy government spokesman, Hamdullah Fitrat, reported on X that the airstrike struck the hospital at approximately 9 p.m. local time, destroying large sections of the 2,000-bed facility. He stated that the death toll had “so far” reached 400 people, with around 250 injured. Local television stations shared footage on X showing security forces using flashlights to carry casualties out of the rubble, while firefighters worked to extinguish flames engulfing the ruins.
Rescue teams have been actively working to control the fire and recover bodies from the site. The strike occurred just hours after Afghan officials confirmed deadly exchanges of fire along the common border between the two countries, leaving four Afghans dead as the most intense fighting in years entered its third week.
**Afghan Government Condemns the Strike**
Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the strike on X, accusing Pakistan of deliberately targeting hospitals and civilian sites to “perpetrate horrors.” He emphasized that the victims were patients at the hospital and described the attack as a crime against humanity. “We strongly condemn this crime and consider such an act to be against all accepted principles,” he posted.
**Pakistan Denies Targeting Civilian Sites**
In response, Pakistan dismissed the allegations as baseless. Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesman for Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, denied that any hospital in Kabul was targeted. Pakistan’s Ministry of Information stated that its airstrikes precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure, including technical equipment and ammunition storage used by Afghan Taliban and Pakistan-based militants in Kabul and Nangarhar provinces.
The ministry emphasized that the strikes were carefully executed to avoid collateral damage and labeled Mujahid’s claims as “false and misleading,” accusing Afghanistan of attempting to stir sentiment and cover up “illegitimate support for cross-border terrorism.”
**UN Security Council Calls for Action**
The airstrike occurred hours after the United Nations Security Council urged Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to intensify efforts to combat terrorism immediately. The unanimous resolution condemned “in the strongest terms all terrorist activity, including terrorist attacks” but did not specifically mention Pakistan. The resolution also extended the mandate of the UN political mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for three months.
Pakistan accuses Kabul of harboring militant groups, notably the Pakistani Taliban, which Pakistan says orchestrates attacks inside its territory. Afghanistan denies these allegations.
**Background of the Escalating Conflict**
The current hostilities represent the most intense fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan in years. The clashes escalated in late February after Afghanistan launched cross-border attacks in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes within Afghan territory, which Kabul said killed civilians. These confrontations disrupted a ceasefire brokered by Qatar in October, which had temporarily quelled violence following previous clashes that claimed dozens of lives among soldiers, civilians, and suspected militants.
Pakistan has publicly declared it is in “open war” with Afghanistan. The escalating conflict has raised concerns worldwide, particularly because militant groups like al-Qaida and Islamic State remain active in the region and are attempting to regain strength.
On Sunday, Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar claimed the Pakistani military had killed 684 Afghan Taliban fighters—a figure rejected by Afghan officials, who assert that casualties are significantly lower. Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry reports having killed over 100 Pakistani soldiers in the ongoing fighting.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari criticized Afghanistan’s Taliban administration for crossing a “red line” after deploying drones that injured several civilians in Pakistan last week. In response, Pakistan’s air force conducted strikes over the weekend on equipment storage sites and technical support infrastructure in Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province, claiming these were used to facilitate attacks inside Pakistan.
Kabul acknowledged that Pakistan struck two locations, including an empty security site and a drug rehabilitation center that suffered minor damage.
**Afghan Officials Respond**
In Kabul, Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi reaffirmed the duty of all citizens to defend national sovereignty. Speaking at a meeting with political analysts and media figures, Hanafi expressed regret over the civilian casualties resulting from recent Pakistani attacks, emphasizing that the conflict was imposed on Afghanistan.
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*This developing situation underscores the fragility of peace in the region and the urgent need for diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions and prevent further loss of life.*
https://www.npr.org/2026/03/16/g-s1-114013/pakistan-strike-kabul-hospital