Pakistan launches strikes on Afghanistan; Taliban says attacks hit civilians

Afghanistan on Tuesday accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes on a Kabul hospital treating drug addicts, saying the attack killed more than 200 people, according to the Health Ministry.Pakistan denied the allegation, saying its strikes- also carried out in eastern Afghanistan – targeted only military and “terrorist” sites.Health Ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman gave the death toll during a television interview with local media. He said all parts of the drug treatment hospital had been destroyed. Loud explosions rocked the Afghan capital at about 9:00 p.m. local time, with plumes of smoke visible from the Shahr-e-Naw and Wazir Akbar Khan areas.

Local television footage showed firefighters struggling to extinguish flames among the ruins of the building.Taliban Government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on X that the Pakistani military had “once again violated Afghan territory,” calling the strikes “a crime” and an “act of inhumanity.” He said most of those killed and wounded were addicts receiving treatment at the facility.Pakistan’s Ministry of Information said the strikes “precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure including technical equipment storage and ammunition storage of Afghan Taliban” and Afghanistan-based Pakistani militants in Kabul and Nangarhar. It said the locations “were being used against innocent Pakistani civilians.”The ministry added that Pakistan’s targeting was “precise and carefully undertaken to ensure no collateral damage is inflicted.” It described Mujahid’s claim as “false and misleading” and aimed at stirring sentiment and covering what it called “illegitimate support for cross-border terrorism.”Pakistan’s military has struck Kabul several times in recent weeks as tensions rose over accusations that Afghanistan’s Taliban government has sheltered militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan.The latest developments came as deadly clashes continued along the countries’ shared border.Pakistan has repeatedly said its military only targets Afghan posts and militant hideouts. Officials in Islamabad have described the situation as an “open war,” with clashes including multiple Pakistani airstrikes on Kabul President Asif Ali Zardari said Afghanistan’s Taliban administration crossed a “red line” by deploying drones that injured several civilians in Pakistan last week.In response, Pakistan’s air force struck equipment storage sites and “technical support infrastructure” in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province over the weekend, saying the sites were being used for attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul said Pakistan hit two locations, including an empty security site and a drug rehabilitation center that sustained minor damage.In Kabul, Afghanistan’s administrative deputy prime minister Abdul Salam Hanafi said defending sovereignty is the duty of all citizens. Speaking during a meeting with political analysts and media figures, Hanafi expressed regret over civilian casualties in recent Pakistani attacks and said the war was imposed on Afghanistan.