Pakistani Airstrike on Kabul Drug Center Kills 400 People

Devastating Attack Escalates Regional War

Afghanistan accused Pakistan of killing at least 400 people in an airstrike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in the Afghan capital late Monday, with more than 400 people killed and at least 265 others injured in the Pakistani airstrike on a state-run drug rehabilitation center in Kabul . The strike destroyed large sections of the 2,000-bed facility, with the death toll reaching 400 people while about 250 people had been reported injured .

The attack marked a dramatic escalation of a conflict that began late last month and has seen repeated cross-border clashes as well as airstrikes inside Afghanistan, making it the single deadliest incident since fighting erupted between the two adversaries in February . Rescuers are combing through the wreckage of a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul where Afghan officials say a Pakistani strike has killed at least 400 people .

Pakistan dismissed the accusation that it had hit a hospital, saying its strikes, which were also conducted in eastern Afghanistan, did not hit any civilian sites . Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar posted on X that the Pakistani military had "carried out precision airstrikes" targeting military installations in Kabul and the eastern province of Nangarhar, saying "technical support infrastructure and ammunition storage facilities" at two locations in Kabul were destroyed, with "all targeting done with precision only at those infrastructures which are being used by Afghan Taliban regime to support its multiple terror proxies" .

Roots of the Conflict

The armed conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan began in late February 2026 following Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan's Nangarhar, Paktika, and Khost provinces, with Pakistan saying the strikes targeted militant camps and hideouts linked to the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS–K), describing them as retaliation for recent terrorist attacks in Islamabad, Bajaur, and Bannu .

In February 2026, Pakistan experienced multiple terror attacks on its territory, notably a suicide bombing at a Shia mosque on 6 February by the Islamic State's Pakistan Province in the capital city of Islamabad which killed 36 people, and an attack on a checkpoint in Bajaur on 16 February by the Pakistani Taliban which killed 11 soldiers and a child . A warning followed that Pakistan "would not hesitate" to launch air operations inside Afghanistan if the Taliban government did not take action against militant groups using its territory .

The conflict occurred against the backdrop of long-running tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban government of Afghanistan, centred on Pakistan's accusations that Afghan soil is used as a safe haven by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militants to launch attacks inside Pakistan . At the core of the conflict is Pakistan's continued assertion that the Afghan Taliban is offering a safe haven for the jihadist militant group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, with Pakistan saying the group is operating from within Afghanistan—a claim that the Afghan Taliban repeatedly denies .

Humanitarian Crisis Unfolds

As of March 13, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan recorded at least 75 civilians killed and 193 injured since the start of this conflict on February 26, though these figures are preliminary . Over the past three weeks, Pakistani forces have hit Afghan military installations, residential areas, and civilian infrastructure, including more than 20 health care facilities .

The casualties were taken to several hospitals in the area, where crowds gathered to search for their loved ones among the injured and the dead, though it was not possible to independently confirm the reported death toll . A Kabul resident described the moment her family was woken by a loud explosion on Friday, saying "I was terrified. Then we heard gunfire. When we looked out of our apartment window, we saw bullet-like flames going up in the sky," adding she could not sleep and was still awake at 5 a.m., fearing what could happen next .

Uncertain Path Forward

Islamabad has described the situation as an "open war," with international calls for a ceasefire having gone unheeded . Cease-fire talks remain unlikely, with a Taliban spokesperson warning on Tuesday that Afghanistan will retaliate for the Camp Phoenix strike .

The Afghan Taliban has said that it is willing to negotiate with Pakistan, but there are growing concerns that the conflict could continue to escalate, further destabilizing a region already grappling with the rippling fallout from joint U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran . Analysts fear further escalation could compound instability, with experts warning of "dangerous times ahead" .

The tragic loss of life at the Kabul drug rehabilitation