Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of bombing medical center, killing nearly 400

Afghanistan accused Pakistan on Tuesday of carrying out an airstrike that killed nearly 400 people at a medical center for drug dependents in Kabul on Monday night. Pakistani authorities rejected the accusation, stating their operations targeted military and terrorist positions and did not strike civilian sites.

Afghan Vice Government Spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said the bombardment struck the hospital in Kabul around 9 p.m. local time, destroying large sections of the 2,000-bed facility. The Afghan Health Ministry Spokesman Sharafat Zaman reported the death toll had reached approximately 400 people, with more than 200 wounded. Zaman noted the casualty count was "not definitive" and that search operations were continuing.

According to Afghan authorities, the airstrike caused extensive damage to the medical facility. A government spokesman reported that around 250 people were injured in the attack.

The incident marks an escalation in a conflict that began in late February and has been characterized by repeated cross-border clashes and airstrikes within Afghan territory. Hours before the hospital strike, Afghan authorities said the two sides exchanged fire along their shared border, resulting in four deaths in Afghanistan.

Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of providing safe haven to the Pakistani Taliban, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, as well as other militant groups. Afghan authorities have denied these accusations.

International calls for a ceasefire have gone unanswered. The two countries have remained in conflict for months, with Pakistan asserting that Afghan territory has sheltered combatants responsible for deadly attacks on Pakistani soil.