Afghan officials say a Pakistan airstrike on a Kabul drug rehabilitation centre killed 408 people and wounded 265, a claim Islamabad denies. Witnesses and aid groups reported multiple blasts and widespread fires at the converted Camp Phoenix treatment facility; Reuters could not independently verify the toll. China urged calm and offered mediation, while India condemned the strike during Ramadan.
Afghanistan Says Pakistani Airstrike Killed Hundreds At Kabul Rehab Centre; Pakistan Rejects Claims
Red Crescent volunteers carry a body of a victim, who died in what the Taliban said was a Pakistani air strike on a drug users rehabilitation hospital, in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Sayed Hassib
Afghan officials say a Pakistani airstrike struck a drug rehabilitation facility in Kabul on Monday night, killing 408 people and wounding 265, in a sharp escalation of cross-border hostilities. Pakistan rejected the Afghan account as "false and misleading," saying its strikes targeted militant-related military installations near Camp Phoenix.
Wali Khan, who got injured in what the Taliban said was a Pakistani air strike on a drug users rehabilitation hospital, sits on a bed after getting treatment at a hospital, in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Sayed Hassib
What Happened
Taliban deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said the strike occurred at 9 p.m. (1630 GMT) and hit the state-run Omid facility, a large drug treatment site that locals also refer to as Omid Camp or Ibn Sina Drug Addiction Treatment Hospital. Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qanie gave the casualty figures of 408 dead and 265 injured; Afghan authorities said the victims were taken to hospitals across Kabul but did not detail how the toll was compiled.
A man walks next to debris lying inside a drug users rehabilitation hospital destroyed in what the Taliban said was a Pakistani air strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Sayed Hassib
Residents and witnesses — including a Reuters journalist — said the site hit was a former NATO base, Camp Phoenix, that had been converted about a decade ago into a drug treatment centre, commonly called Omid Camp. Pakistani officials contend Omid Hospital is miles from Camp Phoenix and said their strikes "precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure." Pakistan's information minister, Attaullah Tarar, said secondary detonations after the strikes suggested large ammunition depots.
The site of a drug users rehabilitation hospital that was destroyed in what the Taliban said was a Pakistani air strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Sayed Hassib
Witnesses And Aid Groups
Survivors described a sudden, devastating attack. Witnesses reported hearing three explosions as people finished evening prayers; two of the blasts struck patient areas, and fires swept through parts of the centre. "The whole place caught fire. It was like doomsday," said Ahmad, a 50-year-old patient who gave only his first name.
People walk next to debris lying at the site of a drug users rehabilitation hospital destroyed in what the Taliban said was a Pakistani air strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Sayed Hassib
The Norwegian Refugee Council said its staff observed "hundreds of civilians dead and injured" at the treatment centre and urged that civilian infrastructure must never be targeted. Reuters said it could not independently verify the casualty figures; throughout the conflict both sides have claimed heavy damage and independent verification has been difficult.
Reactions And Regional Context
Pakistan's government reiterated that its counterterrorism operations would continue until "terrorists and their infrastructure" were eliminated and called the Afghan suggestion that civilians were targeted "constant lies." The Afghan Taliban denied that Kabul provides safe haven to militants who attack Pakistan and described most victims as civilian patients.
China urged restraint and offered to continue mediation efforts, stressing the need to protect Chinese personnel and projects in the region. India strongly condemned the strike, calling it particularly reprehensible because it occurred during the holy month of Ramadan.
The incident comes amid the worst fighting between the two neighbours in recent memory; the confrontation began last month after Pakistan launched air strikes it said targeted militant strongholds in Afghanistan. The countries share a roughly 2,600-km (1,600-mile) border.
Note: Casualty figures reported by Afghan authorities have not been independently verified.
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