An airstrike hit a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing more than 100 people, Taliban authorities blame Pakistan for the attack.
Officials at the Kabul Forensic Medicine Department said some victims were so badly injured that they were unrecognisable. Taliban sources have suggested that the death toll could be significantly higher than initial estimates.
The centre was engulfed in flames on Monday evening, leaving it in ruins. Pakistan has denied targeting any healthcare facility, asserting that its strikes focused solely on military sites and infrastructure supporting terrorists.
Cross-border tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan reignited last month, with Pakistan accusing Afghanistan of sheltering militants who launch attacks on its territory a claim Kabul denies.
At the time of the strike, roughly 2,000 individuals were undergoing treatment at the rehabilitation facility. Staff at the centre expressed concern that hundreds could have been killed or injured.
Sharafat Zaman Amarkhail, a spokesperson for Afghanistan’s health ministry, told the BBC that no military installations were located near the centre.
Residents in Kabul reported hearing loud explosions around 20:50 local time (16:20 GMT), followed by the sound of aircraft and air defence systems. Family members of patients gathered outside the facility, anxiously trying to find news of their loved ones.
A Taliban spokesperson claimed that the death toll could be as high as 400, although the BBC has not independently confirmed this figure. A reporter at the scene observed more than 30 bodies being carried out on stretchers Monday evening.
Pakistan’s Information Ministry stated that airstrikes in Kabul and Nangarhar province were “precise and carefully executed to avoid collateral damage,” dismissing Afghan reports as misleading and intended to inflame public sentiment.
The strike took place at a former US military base that had become a known gathering spot for drug users. After the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the facility was converted into a drug rehabilitation centre for addicts from across Kabul.
Rescue teams continued searching for survivors into Tuesday, with flattened debris, burnt-out windows, and scattered personal belongings such as blankets and shoes visible at the site.
The attack comes amid months of cross-border clashes, despite a tenuous ceasefire agreed upon in October. Since 26 February, ongoing fighting has left at least 75 people dead and 193 injured, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (Unama).
China, which has been attempting to mediate, said Foreign Minister Wang Yi held phone discussions with both Afghan and Pakistani officials over the past week. Beijing called for an immediate ceasefire, urging both nations to remain calm, exercise restraint, and engage in face-to-face talks as soon as possible.