Deadly Airstrike Hits Drug Rehabilitation Center in Kabul; Taliban Accuses Pakistan
Photo Credit, Reuters
An airstrike on a drug rehabilitation center in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, has killed dozens of people, according to the Taliban government. Afghan authorities have blamed Pakistan for the attack.
A Taliban government spokesperson announced Monday evening that the rehabilitation center in Kabul was targeted in a deadly strike.
Pakistan has denied targeting any healthcare facilities and asserted that it only strikes “military sites and structures supporting terrorism.”
Upon visiting the attacked center, BBC observed that the fire was still burning and over 30 bodies were being carried out on stretchers.
Officials from the center said approximately 2,000 patients were undergoing treatment there before the attack. They estimated that hundreds could be injured or killed.
Photo Credit, AFP via Getty Images
Statements from Afghan Officials
Sharafat Zaman Amarkhail, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Health, confirmed there are no military installations near the rehabilitation center.
Local residents reported hearing a large explosion in Kabul around 8:50 pm on Monday night, followed by sounds of aircraft and air defense systems.
Relatives were gathered at the center seeking information about patients undergoing treatment during the attack.
A Taliban spokesperson claimed that at least 400 people died, although this number has not been independently verified.
Pakistan’s Information Ministry stated that the attack was carried out with care to prevent “unnecessary damage.”
Pakistan described the Afghan accusations as “misreporting, incitement, and illegal cross-border support for terrorism.”
The site of the attack was formerly a US military base, later converted into a drug rehabilitation center after the Taliban regained power in August 2021.
Drug addicts arrested in Kabul are sent to this center for rehabilitation.
Photo Credit, AFP via Getty Images
Tensions have increased since a conflict erupted between the two countries in February.
Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of supporting militant groups, allegations the Taliban has denied.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has reported that the conflict between the two nations has resulted in at least 75 deaths and 193 injuries in Afghanistan.
China is attempting to mediate the conflict. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a telephone conversation last week with his Afghan and Pakistani counterparts.
Beijing has called on both countries to cease hostilities, maintain peace, refrain from attacks, and seek resolution through dialogue.
Why and When Did the Afghanistan-Pakistan Conflict Begin?
Photo Credit, AFP via Getty Images
The conflict began as a result of tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan following Afghanistan’s cooperation with Western countries during the US war.
Tensions escalated last April when Pakistan ordered the deportation of Afghan refugees residing within its borders.
Millions of Afghans have returned home following Pakistan’s announcement to intensify the campaign to expel undocumented Afghan residents.
In Pakistan’s Balochistan province, bordering Afghanistan, insurgent groups have been attacking security forces, and Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring these militants.
BBC Pashto correspondent Dawood Azami stated, “Pakistani attacks on Afghanistan are not new. Pakistan conducted its first airstrike in April 2022 and has launched 2-3 or more strikes annually since then.”
In October last year, there was an airstrike in Kabul, which Afghanistan attributed to Pakistan and vowed to respond.
That same month, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was on a visit to India when clashes were reported along the border.
Photo Credit, AFP via Getty Images
Pakistani security officials claimed that Afghanistan fired artillery shells at six locations.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Defense stated that their forces retaliated. Amid escalating tensions, Saudi Arabia and Gulf states have attempted to mediate between the two sides.
In October 2025, clashes between Pakistani and Taliban forces in Spin Boldak, Kandahar, led to the deaths of 12 Afghan civilians and injuries to over 100. The Afghan government claimed that numerous Pakistani soldiers were also casualties.
A few days later, on October 19, a ceasefire and agreement for talks were reached through Qatari mediation.
However, fighting resumed several months later.
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