Pakistan vs Afghanistan War Live Updates: ‘Blatant violation of humanitarian norms,’ Mirwais Ashraf on Kabul hospital strike

400 people killed: At least 400 people were killed in a Pakistani airstrike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul late on Monday, Afghanistan’s Taliban government said. According to deputy government spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat, about 250 more people were reported injured in the airstrike that hit the hospital around 9 pm local time, destroying large portions of the 2,000-bed facility. Pakistan however dismissed the allegation, saying no hospital was targeted in Kabul.

Rescue operation: Fitrat said rescue teams were dispatched and were working to control the fire and recover the bodies. Local media posted clips on X showing security forces using flashlights while carried the bodies out while firefighters struggled to extinguish flames among the ruins of a building.

What Pakistan says: Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid condemned attack and accused Pakistan of “targeting hospitals and civilian sites to perpetrate horrors”. Before Afghan officials released a death toll, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information said the strikes “precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure including technical equipment storage and ammunition storage of Afghan Taliban” and Afghanistan-based Pakistani militants in Kabul and Nangarhar. It alleged that the facilities were being used against innocent Pakistani civilians and said Pakistan’s strikes were “precise and carefully undertaken to ensure no collateral damage is inflicted”.