Afghanistan Taliban: Hundreds killed in attack on clinic in Kabul
The Pakistani military has once again attacked targets in the Afghan capital Kabul.
17.03.2026, 02:15
17.03.2026, 02:16
SDA
The attack on a rehab clinic for drug addicts killed 400 people and injured around 250 others, wrote Taliban deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat on the X platform. Pakistan rejected this claim. The statements by both parties to the conflict could not initially be independently verified.
The Pakistani Ministry of Information stated on X that there had been attacks on military facilities, infrastructure to support terrorists as well as equipment and ammunition depots in Kabul and in the province of Nangarhar in the east of the country. The attacks were carried out "precisely" in order to avoid collateral damage, it said.
According to Afghan sources, the clinic hit in Kabul is said to have over 2,000 beds. The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, expressed his "dismay at recent reports of airstrikes by Pakistan in Afghanistan and the resulting civilian casualties" in an X-Post.
Civilian casualties in almost three weeks of conflict
After the attacks, television images from the Afghan television station Tolonews showed extensive columns of fire and smoke and large crowds of people carrying out rescue work in destroyed facilities.
Only a few days ago, Pakistan had attacked targets in Afghanistan. According to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (Unama), air strikes in Kabul resulted in deaths and injuries. Up to and including last Friday, at least 75 civilians had been killed and 193 injured in the conflict in Afghanistan since the end of February, Unama announced at the time.
Afghanistan, in turn, had also recently attacked targets in Pakistan, for example in the capital Islamabad.
Taliban: No time for diplomacy
Mutual attacks had already taken place last fall. A lasting peace could not be achieved at various rounds of talks. Pakistan accuses the Islamist Taliban ruling in Kabul of supporting terrorist groups. The Taliban reject the accusations.
The latest escalation of the conflict followed Pakistani airstrikes in two Afghan provinces on February 22. Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif spoke of an "open war" at the end of February.
China had recently tried to mediate in the conflict. The Taliban - who are militarily inferior - had also pushed for a dialog. This could change with the recent air strikes on Kabul.
The spokesman for the Taliban government, Sabiullah Mujahid, told Tolonews after the latest attacks on Kabul that now was not the time for diplomacy. Afghanistan will strike back, he said.
