Rescue teams are continuing to pull bodies from the smoking rubble of a drug rehabilitation centre in the Afghan capital, Kabul, which was hit on Monday night in a devastating Pakistani air strike. The attack on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, which happened at about 21:00 local time during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, is the deadliest in recent violence between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The Taliban government reports that the death toll is around 400, although this figure is yet to be independently verified. Many others remain injured, with several survivors recounting the horrifying moments of the attack. Mohammad Shafee, a patient in his 20s, recalled, I was in the kitchen helping to serve dinner when I heard a loud bang and ran for safety. When I returned later, I found most of our colleagues and people in the dining room hit. Only five of us survived.\
Maiwand Hoshmand, a doctor at the facility, shared that patients had just finished dinner and some were engaged in prayer when the jets struck multiple parts of the centre. Eyewitness accounts describe the aftermath as chaotic, with fires engulfing the building and people trapped inside.
Despite the Taliban's claims that the strike killed numerous civilians and non-combatants, Pakistan maintains that it targeted military installations and denies any intentional attack on the rehabilitation facility.
A large crowd of anxious relatives gathered around the site, desperate for news of their loved ones, many of whom had no information since the attack. As the situation continues to unfold, the implications of this tragedy are likely to be far-reaching amidst existing tensions in the region.
