Amid the long-standing border tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, information has emerged of Pakistan attacking Afghanistan’s drug rehabilitation hospital.
SNPNEWS.IN News (Gurmail Kamboj): Pakistan and Afghanistan have been carrying out attacks and military actions in border areas and within both countries for some time due to ongoing border tensions. This has continuously increased animosity between the two nations. Afghanistan has claimed that Pakistan attacked a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul.
On Monday, March 16, at around 9 p.m., an attack targeted the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital (drug rehabilitation hospital) located in Kabul, Afghanistan. This is a government-run 2,000-bed drug rehabilitation center, where reports indicate around 3,000 people were undergoing treatment. International reports state that this hospital was previously used as a NATO training base (Camp Phoenix) and has now been converted into a rehab center.
According to Afghanistan’s Deputy Government Spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat and Zabihullah Mujahid, the Pakistan Air Force conducted an airstrike on Kabul’s drug rehabilitation center, destroying large sections of the hospital (especially 5 blocks). After the explosions, fires broke out in the building, and structures collapsed, causing many patients to burn on their beds or get buried under the rubble.
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In this attack, approximately 200-400 patients have died. Fire brigades and rescue teams are engaged in extinguishing the fires and extracting the injured/deceased. Many patients burned on their beds or were trapped under the debris. Family members and relatives are gathering outside the hospital, searching for their loved ones.
Taliban officials (Hamdullah Fitrat, Abdul Mateen Kani, Sharafat Zaman Amarkhail) have described this as targeting civilians and a “war crime”. According to them, there was no military installation near the hospital, and the attack was deliberate. The Taliban has called it a civilian target and a “war crime”. According to them, there was no military installation near the hospital, and the attack was deliberate.
Pakistan has rejected the claim of attacking the hospital, stating that their strikes were only on “military targets”, “terrorist hideouts”, and locations linked to TTP/terrorist groups (in Kabul and Nangarhar). They called Afghanistan’s claims “false and misleading” and said the strikes were “precise”.
India and UNAMA described the attack as “cowardly” and an assault on Afghanistan’s sovereignty, condemning Pakistan. The UN (UNAMA) condemned the attack, called strikes on medical facilities a violation of international law, and demanded an immediate investigation. This incident is further escalating Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions, which have been ongoing in March 2026 with border clashes and attacks.
Due to the deteriorating relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, tensions in the region have increased significantly. Clashes continue along the border, and threats of retaliation are emerging. This incident is highly dangerous for the region, and the international community is increasingly demanding a ceasefire.