Kabul, Mar 17: The Deputy Spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan said early Tuesday that 400 people were killed and about 250 others injured after a Pakistani airstrike struck a hospital treating drug users in Kabul late Monday.

In a post on X, Hamdullah Fitrat said the strike destroyed large sections of the facility. He added that rescue teams were still working to extinguish the fire and retrieve bodies from the rubble.

The Pakistani military regime carried out an airstrike at approximately 9:00 PM this evening on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, a 2,000-bed facility dedicated to the treatment of drug addiction. As a result of the attack, large sections of the hospital have been destroyed,…

— Hamdullah Fitratحمدالله فطرت (@FitratHamd) March 16, 2026

Pakistan, however, denied that its airstrikes targeted a hospital, saying operations carried out in Kabul and eastern Afghanistan on Monday did not hit civilian sites.

Afghan Officials Report Rising Death Toll
Earlier, Afghanistan’s Health Ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman said the death toll from the attack had crossed 200.

“All parts of the drug treatment hospital had been destroyed,” Zaman said during a television interview with local media that was later posted online, according to the Associated Press.

Afghanistan government spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid also shared the interview and condemned the strike earlier, describing it as a violation of Afghanistan’s territory.

“Most of those killed and wounded were patients undergoing treatment at the facility,” Mujahid wrote in a post on X.

Local television footage showed firefighters attempting to douse flames rising from the rubble of the damaged structure.

Cricketer Mohammad Nabi Shares Video From Hospital
Afghanistan cricketer Mohammad Nabi posted a video from the hospital on X, highlighting the human impact of the attack.

“Tonight in Kabul, hope was extinguished at a hospital. Young men seeking treatment were murdered in a bombing by the Pakistani military regime,” Nabi wrote.

Tonight in Kabul, hope was extinguished at a hospital. Young men seeking treatment were murdered in a bombing by the Pakistani military regime. Mothers waited at the gates, calling their sons’ names. On the 28th night of Ramadan, their lives were cut short. pic.twitter.com/p12617D4de

— Mohammad Nabi (@MohammadNabi007) March 16, 2026

“Mothers waited at the gates, calling their sons’ names. On the 28th night of Ramadan, their lives were cut short,” he added.

Pakistan Rejects Allegations
Pakistan rejected claims that a civilian hospital was targeted, saying the airstrikes were aimed at militant infrastructure.

Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesman for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, dismissed the allegation that a hospital in Kabul had been hit.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information said the strikes “precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure,” including equipment storage and ammunition facilities used by Afghan Taliban and Pakistan-based militants.

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The ministry also said the operation was conducted carefully to ensure that “no collateral damage is inflicted,” describing Mujahid’s claim as “false and misleading.”

Cross-Border Shelling Reported
The alleged airstrike came hours after Afghan officials reported an exchange of fire between Pakistani and Afghan forces along their shared border.

Local authorities said mortar shells fired from Pakistan overnight struck villages in southeastern Khost province, killing four people — including two children — and injuring several others.

Pakistan said that a mortar fired from Afghanistan hit a house in the northwestern district of Bajaur a day earlier, killing four members of a family.

The clashes mark some of the deadliest cross-border fighting between the two countries in recent years.

UN Security Council Voices Concern
The escalation comes as the United Nations Security Council urged Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government to strengthen measures against terrorism.

The council unanimously adopted a resolution condemning terrorist activity and extended the mandate of the U.N. political mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, for three months.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of giving safe haven to militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban, which carry out attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul has denied the accusations.

Regional Tensions Continue to Rise
Hostilities between the two countries intensified in late February after cross-border strikes triggered retaliatory attacks from both sides.

Pakistan has described the situation as an “open war,” while Afghan officials say defending the country’s sovereignty is the responsibility of all citizens.

Afghanistan's administrative Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi said the war had been imposed on Afghanistan and expressed concern over civilian casualties in recent Pakistani attacks.

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