Pakistan Airstrikes on Kabul Raise Fears of Heavy Civilian Casualties

AFP reported early Tuesday, March 16, that Pakistan’s airstrikes on the city of Kabul have heightened concerns over widespread civilian casualties. Taliban officials stated that a large drug rehabilitation center in eastern Kabul was targeted, resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries.

A deputy spokesman for the Taliban administration said that at least 400 people were killed and 250 others wounded in the attack on the 2,000-bed drug treatment hospital, with the death toll likely to rise. However, the Taliban-run Ministry of Public Health had earlier reported more than 200 killed and injured, indicating discrepancies in the figures provided.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, described the attack as a “violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty” and “inhumane,” strongly condemning it. He noted that most victims were civilians, especially addicts receiving treatment.

Meanwhile, Pakistani officials denied deliberately targeting civilians, stating that the strikes focused on “military installations and terrorist infrastructure.” Islamabad has not provided further details regarding the claim that a treatment center in Kabul was hit.

This incident comes amid escalating border tensions and clashes between the two sides, which have intensified over recent months. The United Nations had previously reported that at least 75 civilians have died since late February due to these conflicts.

Given the rising civilian casualties, it is expected that international bodies will conduct independent investigations into adherence to humanitarian rights and the protection of civilian areas—an issue consistently emphasized in regional conflicts.