Airstrike hit a major drug rehabilitation hospital in the Afghan capital on Monday at around 9:00 p.m. local time, killing at least 400 people and injuring 250 others, according to Afghan government officials. The strike on the 2,000-bed facility, marks a massive escalation in a conflict that has seen repeated cross-border clashes and aerial bombardments over the last three weeks. The Afghan Taliban government reports that at least 408 people were killed and over 265 injured. Most of the victims were patients undergoing drug rehabilitation and hospital staff. Witnesses described a “doomsday” scenario where the 2,000-bed facility caught fire instantly. Rescue teams are still working through the rubble to recover bodies. The Taliban administration has condemned the attack as a “crime against humanity” and a “barbaric act.” They maintain the facility was a purely civilian medical center and that there were no military targets nearby.
The Pakistani Ministry of Information has categorically denied hitting a hospital. They claim their Air Force “precisely targeted” Camp Phoenix, which they allege has been converted into a military ammunition and equipment storage site for terrorists. Pakistan suggests the fire at the rehabilitation center may have been caused by secondary detonations from the nearby ammo dump or was “manipulated propaganda” by the Taliban. This strike is the deadliest single event in a conflict that has been simmering since late February 2026. Pakistan recently declared an “open war” against militants it claims are being sheltered in Afghanistan, while the Taliban government denies providing safe haven to any groups attacking Pakistan.
