A devastating strike in the Afghan capital of Kabul has left hundreds feared dead after a hospital treating drug users was hit during a military operation that Afghan officials blame on Pakistan. According to Afghanistan’s deputy government spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat, the death toll has reportedly reached around 400 people, with approximately 250 more injured, many of them patients undergoing treatment at the state-run Omid hospital at the time of the attack. Footage from the scene shows flames engulfing the structure while rescue crews struggled to reach survivors trapped beneath the rubble.

Pakistan has strongly denied targeting civilians, stating that its operation focused on military installations and terrorist infrastructure rather than civilian facilities. Afghan officials, however, insist the strike devastated a medical center housing thousands of vulnerable patients. Witnesses described the aftermath as catastrophic, with one security guard saying the destruction was “like doomsday” as fire swept through the complex. The tragedy highlights the ongoing instability and tension in a region long plagued by conflict and geopolitical rivalry.

SOURCE: Guardian