A survivor of the air strike on a Kabul drug rehabilitation centre described scenes of devastation, saying patients were engulfed in flames moments after explosions tore through the facility late Monday (16 March).
“The whole place caught fire. It was like doomsday,” said Ahmad, 50, who had been receiving treatment at the centre. “My friends were burning in the fire, and we could not save them all.”
Afghan officials say more than 400 people were killed and around 250 wounded in the strike, which they say targeted the state-run Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital at about 9:00 PM.
Rescue teams continued to search through the wreckage on Tuesday, with large parts of the complex reduced to charred debris. Witnesses said explosions struck patient areas as residents completed evening prayers.
However, uncertainty remains over the exact site that was hit.
Residents and local journalists said the facility occupies what was once Camp Phoenix, a former NATO military base that was converted into a drug treatment centre around a decade ago. Locals often refer to the site as “Omid Camp,” though officials identify it as the Ibn Sina Drug Addiction Treatment Hospital.
Pakistan rejected Afghanistan’s account of events, calling it “false and misleading”, and said its forces had targeted what it described as “military installations and terrorist support infrastructure”.
Afghan authorities deny the presence of any military infrastructure, insisting the facility was a civilian medical centre treating addiction patients.
Casualty figures and competing claims about the target can not be independently verified.
The strike comes amid the worst fighting in years between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which share a 2,600-kilometre border. Both sides accuse the other of harbouring militants, a charge Kabul denies.
International concern has grown following reports of heavy civilian casualties. Aid groups said they had witnessed large numbers of dead and wounded at hospitals across Kabul, warning that civilian infrastructure must not be targeted.
China urged restraint and renewed dialogue, while India condemned the attack, describing it as “unconscionable”.
The violence has escalated in recent weeks despite mediation efforts, and comes just days before the Eid al-Fitr festival marking the end of Ramadan.
Baku Climate Action Week (BCAW) 2026 has begun in Azerbaijan’s capital, bringing together government representatives, business leaders, inves...
Pakistan faces a fresh test over preferential access to one of its biggest export markets as the European Union introduces a new GSP+ framework fro...
Kazakhstan plans to build an international Earth observation satellite network of up to 14 spacecraft, expanding a project already bringing togethe...
An eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Anak Krakatau has disrupted air travel, school activities and fishing operations, with hundreds of passengers stranded at Jakarta’s main airport on Sunday.
At least five people were killed and five others injured when an Amazon Prime Air cargo plane overran a runway and crashed while landing at Miami International Airport on Sunday, 6 September, local officials said.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday that the United States must recognise that the “rules of the game” in its war against Iran had changed “before it is too late”, a day after Washington struck several Iranian tankers in the Gulf.
Two Greek military pilots were killed on Saturday when an F-4 Phantom fighter jet crashed during an air show at Tanagra air base, north of Athens, officials said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of talks with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow on efforts to end the Ukraine war.
Kazakhstan plans to build an international Earth observation satellite network of up to 14 spacecraft, expanding a project already bringing together Mongolia, the Republic of the Congo and Nigeria.
Iran has dismissed a joint U.S.-E3 draft resolution on its nuclear programme as “meaningless, illogical, and illegal”, saying Tehran is ready to respond if the measure is pursued at the ongoing IAEA board meeting in Vienna.
Pakistan faces a fresh test over preferential access to one of its biggest export markets as the European Union introduces a new GSP+ framework from January 2027, with tougher requirements on implementation, monitoring and reporting.
Georgia is using a two-day maritime forum in Batumi to strengthen its case as a key trade link between Europe and Asia, bringing together international shipping officials, industry leaders and regional ministers for talks on ports, safety and connectivity.
Türkiye plans to increase defence spending by 229 per cent under a three-year economic plan designed to boost domestic arms production and advanced military technology.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment