UN Revises Kabul Rehab Strike Toll Amid Pakistan Denial of Civilian Targeting

UN Records 143 Deaths in Kabul Air Strike, Taliban Claims Higher Toll

A dispute over casualty figures has emerged between Pakistan and Afghanistan following an air strike on a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul on Monday night. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan reported 143 deaths and 265 wounded, while the Taliban administration claims more than 400 people were killed.

The attack on Omar Addiction Treatment Hospital, a 2,000-bed facility, has sparked tensions between the two countries. The UN provided its figure to Reuters news agency on Wednesday, while the Taliban administration blamed Pakistan for the strike. Hamdullah Fitrat, a deputy spokesman for the Taliban administration, stated that the hospital was targeted and large sections of the building were destroyed.

Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid accused Pakistan of deliberately hitting civilian infrastructure, calling the assault a “crime against humanity.” In response, Attaullah Tarar, Pakistan’s information minister, denied the allegations, stating that his country only targeted terrorist infrastructure and military locations.

The strike is part of a widening confrontation between Pakistan and Afghanistan, who have engaged in repeated cross-border clashes. Pakistan has also carried out air raids inside Afghanistan. The dispute centers on accusations that the Taliban government shelters outlawed groups responsible for attacks on Pakistani soil.

The World Food Programme reported that it had begun mobilizing emergency food supplies for over 20,000 Afghan families displaced by the fighting.

Source: Al Jazeera