Afghanistan-Pakistan war LIVE: The conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan entered its third week as the former accused the latter of launching an airstrike on a drug clinic in Kabul. As the two nations engage in their deadliest fight in years, the death toll from the recent strike in hospitals has risen to 400.
Pakistan claimed on Monday that it had only targeted military installations in Kabul and Nangahar province, dismissing the claim as “false and aimed at misleading public opinion”.
Is there a war between Pakistan and Afghanistan?
Tensions between the two neighboring countries escalated last month when Pakistan launched airstrikes on Afghanistan’s Kabul and Kandahar on February 27, declaring “open war”. According to Islamabad, this major attack was in response to a wave of attacks by Afghan forces on its border troops. Afghanistan launched its own attacks in retaliation, calling the airstrikes a violation of its sovereignty.
In the past, Pakistan has accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of providing safe havens to terrorist groups that often target Pakistani security forces and civilians. The Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and Baloch separatist groups are among the terrorist groups that Pakistan considers a threat.
What happened in the Kabul hospital?
In a post on X, the deputy spokesman for the Afghan Taliban government, Hamdullah Fitrat, said the attack on Kabul’s Omar Hospital for addiction treatment occurred around 21:00 local time (16:30 GMT).
Describing the extent of the damage to the 2,000-bed hospital and the loss of life, he said: “Unfortunately, the death toll has reached 400 so far, while another 250 have been reported injured. Rescue teams are currently on the scene working to control the fire and recover the remaining bodies of the victims.” Large parts of the building were damaged in this airstrike.
A hospital security official told AFP that he had heard the sound of jets in the sky before the attack. A 31-year-old eyewitness said: “There were military units all around us. When these military units fired at the jet, the jet dropped bombs and a fire broke out.”
Follow all live updates on Afghanistan Pakistan war
