Kabul strike sparks Pakistan row
Deadly blast fuels cross border tensions
Thick smoke rose over rubble in Kabul as rescue teams worked amid devastation after an airstrike struck a large drug‑rehabilitation facility, triggering fierce accusations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Afghan officials said the strike hit the state‑run Omid hospital and surrounding treatment camp, with emergency responders pulling scores of bodies from collapsed buildings and treating dozens of wounded. A guard at the centre said roughly 200 bodies had been recovered overnight; Taliban authorities later asserted the toll could be far higher, describing the strike as one of the deadliest recent incidents.
Islamabad denied targeting a hospital, saying its jets conducted precision strikes against militant installations and “terrorist support infrastructure” across the border. Pakistan framed the operation as part of a campaign against groups it accuses of launching attacks from Afghan soil; Kabul condemned the action as a violation of sovereignty and international law. The tit‑for‑tat exchanges follow a month of rising cross‑border strikes and retaliatory attacks that have pushed relations between the neighbors to their worst level in decades.
International actors expressed alarm and urged restraint. The United Nations called for protection of civilians and an impartial investigation, while China pressed both sides to avoid escalation and return to negotiations. Hospitals in Kabul reported being overwhelmed by casualties, and eyewitnesses described scenes of destruction — damaged buildings, crushed vehicles and personal belongings scattered under rubble.
Analysts warned the incident risks widening a conflict that already complicates regional stability, coming amid broader Middle East tensions. Rescue operations continued as authorities cautioned the death toll and extent of damage remained uncertain pending further verification. The episode underscores the sharp divide over militancy accusations between Islamabad and Kabul and highlights growing international concern about civilian harm in cross‑border military actions.
