Firefighters work at the site of a late-Monday airstrike at a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Siddiqullah Alizai)
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday strongly condemned Pakistan’s strikes on a hospital in Kabul, describing them as a “massacre dressed as a military operation.”Also Read | Pakistan airstrike on Afghanistan: 400 killed after Kabul drug rehab centre hit; Pak says military infra targeted“This is a cowardly and unconscionable act of violence that has claimed the lives of a large number of civilians in a facility that can by no means be justified as a military target. Pakistan is now trying to dress up a massacre as a military operation,” the MEA said in an official statement.
“This heinous act of aggression by Pakistan is a blatant assault on Afghanistan’s sovereignty and a direct threat to regional peace and stability. It reflects a persistent pattern of reckless behaviour and repeated attempts to externalise internal failures through increasingly desperate acts of violence beyond its borders,” the MEA added.
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The statement also noted that the strikes were carried out during the holy month of Ramzan, making the attack “even more reprehensible.”Also Read | Watch: Flames, huge smoke columns seen after Pakistan airstrike on Kabul hospital that killed 400It called on the international community to hold those responsible accountable and ensure that Pakistan’s targeting of civilians in Afghanistan ceases without delay.“India extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved families, wishes a swift recovery to those injured, and stands in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan in this tragic moment. We also reiterate our unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan,” the statement read.Hundreds of fatalitiesHamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson of the Taliban regime in Kabul, said in a post on X that the death toll from the Pakistani military’s strike has risen to 400, while 250 people were injured.“The Pakistani military regime carried out an airstrike at approximately 9:00 PM this evening on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, a 2,000-bed facility dedicated to the treatment of drug addiction. As a result of the attack, large sections of the hospital have been destroyed,” Fitrat wrote.Also Read | ‘Fabricating imaginative tales of Islamophobia’: India hits out at Pakistan; cites Afghanistan strike at UNThe Pakistani military has carried out multiple strikes on Kabul in recent weeks as part of an ongoing conflict triggered by Islamabad’s claims that the Taliban regime has been harbouring “extremists” responsible for cross-border attacks.Clashes between the two sides had escalated in October last year, leaving dozens dead, before subsiding briefly and resuming last month. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has since described the situation as “open war.”
