At least 400 people were killed and 250 injured in an airstrike by Pakistan on a drug users rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, a spokesman of the Afghan Taliban government said on Tuesday, a sharp escalation in the conflict between the neighbours.
Pakistan rejected the claim as false and misleading and said it "precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure" on Monday night.
The airstrike came hours after China said it remained ready to continue efforts to ease tensions between the South Asian Islamic nations and urged both to avoid expanding the war and return to the negotiating table.
The conflict that began last month is the worst ever between the neighbours who share a 2,600-km border. It had ebbed amid attempts by friendly countries, including China, to mediate and end the fighting before flaring up again.
The escalation comes amid wider instability in the neighbourhood where the US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran's retaliation have plunged the Middle East into a crisis.
At the site, a blackened single-storey structure bore the marks of flames. In other places, buildings were reduced to heaps of wood and metal, with only a few bunk beds still intact in some, while blankets, personal belongings and bedding were strewn about.
"When I arrived (last night), I saw that everything was burning, people were burning," ambulance driver Haji Fahim told Reuters. "Early in the morning they called me again and told me to come back because there are still bodies under the rubble."
Ambulances and police vehicles were parked near the gate of the damaged facility, which a sign identified as a "drug addiction treatment hospital" with 1,000 beds, while security personnel maintained guard.
Pakistan denies 'misreporting' of attack
Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesman for the Taliban, said the airstrike took place at 9 pm local time on Monday and targeted the state-run Omid hospital, which he said was a 2,000-bed drug rehabilitation centre.
"Large parts of the hospital have been destroyed, and there are fears of heavy casualties," he said in a post on X. "Sadly, the number of those killed has so far reached 400, with up to 250 others injured."
Rescue teams were at the scene working to control the fire and recover the victims, he added.
Reuters could not verify the casualty numbers and the Pakistani military could not be reached for comment outside business hours.
The Pakistani Information and Broadcasting Ministry said the Afghan Taliban claim was "misreporting of facts".
In an overnight post on X, it said that Pakistan targeted military installations and "terrorist support infrastructure" including technical equipment storage and ammunition storage of the Afghan Taliban and Pakistani Taliban militants in Kabul and Nangarhar that were being used against Pakistani civilians.
"Pakistan’s targeting is precise and carefully undertaken to ensure no collateral damage is inflicted," the post said. "This misreporting of facts as drug rehabilitation facility seeks to stir sentiments, covering illegitimate support to cross-border terrorism."
Local media reports building engulfed in flames
The Omid hospital was established in 2016 and has treated hundreds of people, also providing them with vocational training such as tailoring and carpentry to make them more employable, according to local media reports.
Overnight visuals from local media showed flames engulfing a single-storey building, while thick smoke billowed from another section of the same complex. Reuters could not immediately verify the footage.
Fierce fighting between the South Asian neighbours, who were close allies earlier, erupted last month with Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan that Islamabad said targeted militant strongholds.
Afghanistan called the strikes a violation of its sovereignty that targeted civilians and launched its own attacks.
Both sides have claimed to have inflicted heavy damage on the other but independent verification has not been possible.
Islamabad says Kabul provides a safe haven to militants launching attacks on Pakistan. The Taliban deny the allegation, saying tackling militancy is Pakistan's internal problem.
Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in Afghanistan, said he was "dismayed" by fresh reports of Pakistani airstrikes and resulting civilian deaths.
"My condolences. I urge parties to de-escalate, exercise maximum restraint and respect international law, including the protection of civilians and civilian objects such as hospitals," he said in a post on X.
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