400 Killed as Pakistan Airstrikes Hit Kabul Hospital, UN Urges Restraint

A series of Pakistani airstrikes targeted a state-run drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, resulting in what Taliban authorities describe as a devastating loss of life. Sharafat Zaman, a spokesperson for the Taliban's health ministry, stated that approximately 3,000 patients were in the Omid hospital at the time of the attack, which officials claim killed at least 400 people and wounded more than 250 others. Rescue teams have been working to recover bodies from the wreckage as desperate families search for their loved ones amid the destruction. The United Nations has strongly condemned the overnight strikes. Top UN officials, including Richard Bennet, the UN human rights rapporteur for Afghanistan, have urged all parties to de-escalate tensions, exercise maximum restraint, and respect international law. Bennet emphasized the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals, offering his condolences to the victims' families. In contrast, Pakistan's government has defended its military action. The country's Ministry of Information asserted that the strikes were precise operations aimed at militant hideouts and terrorist support infrastructure within Afghanistan. It claimed the targets included military installations, technical equipment storage, and ammunition depots used by the Afghan Taliban and Pakistan-based militants operating from across the border. The attack marks a significant escalation in the ongoing cross-border conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan's Taliban government. The incident has drawn international concern over civilian casualties and the violation of protected sites, raising fears of further regional instability as both sides present conflicting narratives about the nature of the targets struck.