An Afghan official said Tuesday that at least 400 people were killed and 250 injured after a Pakistani air strike hit a drug rehabilitation hospital in the Afghan capital of Kabul, while Pakistan said the country targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure in Afghanistan.
Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman of the Afghan government, said in a statement posted on the social media platform X that the airstrike, launched at around 21:00 local time on Monday, struck the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul.
The hospital, a 2,000-bed facility dedicated to the treatment of drug addiction patients, was largely destroyed in the attack, Fitrat said, warning that the number of casualties could further rise.
According to the official, the airstrike triggered a large fire at the hospital. Rescue teams are working to control the fire and recover the remaining bodies of the victims.
On Tuesday, Esmat Ullah, head of the rehabilitation hospital, told China Global Television Network (CGTN) that rescuers were still searching for the bodies of victims at the site.
"We have about 400 people killed and others wounded. We have sent the wounded to various hospitals for treatment. We are still digging up the victims from the ground and you are now seeing this devastation," he said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan on Monday refuted the Afghan government's claim, saying the Pakistan security forces precisely targeted technical equipment storage and ammunition storage in Kabul and Nangarhar province of Afghanistan that were used against Pakistani people, according to Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have sharply escalated since clashes erupted along their border late last month. Scores of people from both sides have been killed and injured, according to Afghan and Pakistani officials.
Afghanistan says Pakistani airstrike on hospital in Kabul, Pakistan denies claim
