In a tragic incident on Monday (March 16), a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, was bombed, resulting in 408 deaths and 265 injuries. The Afghan Taliban authorities on March 17 accused Pakistan of attacking their hospital and civilians, but Pakistan insisted that they conducted precision strikes on military facilities and infrastructure supporting terrorists.
The spokesperson for the Afghan Taliban government stated that on Tuesday (March 17), Pakistan carried out an airstrike on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul, resulting in 408 deaths and 265 injuries. This is the deadliest incident since intense armed clashes erupted in the border region last October, which claimed the lives of over 200 people. A ceasefire was temporarily achieved after the clashes in October last year through mediation.
However, Pakistan rejected these claims, labeling them as false and misleading, and stated that they conducted “precise strikes on military facilities and infrastructure supporting terrorists” on Monday night.
According to the Afghan Ministry of Health, at the time of the attack, the drug rehabilitation center housed approximately 3,000 patients from various parts of Afghanistan. Under international law, medical facilities are generally protected from attacks.
Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, expressed shock over the latest reports of civilian casualties caused by Pakistan’s airstrikes in Afghanistan. He offered his condolences and urged all parties to de-escalate the situation, exercise maximum restraint, and respect international law, including the protection of civilians and civilian facilities such as hospitals.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid vowed retaliation in a phone interview with the Indian Times, stating that the attack “will not go unanswered.” Mujahid mentioned that the Taliban government is currently focused on rescue operations and confirming the identities of the deceased, but he made it clear that further actions will be taken.
In late February 2026, Pakistan launched airstrikes on multiple locations in Afghanistan, triggering armed conflicts between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Pakistan claimed that the airstrikes targeted armed militants’ campsites and hideouts associated with Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), retaliating against recent terrorist attacks in the Pakistani capital Islamabad and in Bajaur and Bannu located on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. However, Afghanistan and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan both confirmed civilian casualties from the attacks.
Following the first airstrikes on February 21-22, the conflict between the two countries escalated rapidly. On February 26, the Taliban authorities announced what they called an intentional response to Pakistan’s earlier airstrikes, stating that Taliban forces attacked Pakistan’s military positions and border outposts.
Pakistan subsequently declared an “open war” on Afghanistan and launched Operation Ghazab Lil Haq, a large-scale military operation including airstrikes and ground assaults on Taliban positions in multiple provinces of Afghanistan.