A United Nations report has blamed Pakistan for airstrikes that struck the Omid Drug Rehabilitation Hospital in Kabul on March 16, killing at least 269 civilians and injuring 122 more.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) released a report this week which said that the incident, which occurred around 8:50 p.m. in the PD9, Udkhel area of Kabul, stands as the deadliest single event in a wave of cross-border violence between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
UNAMA verified the casualties through onsite visits, eyewitness interviews, medical records and other independent sources.
The Afghan authorities say the casualty figures are much higher and have called for international accountability.
But Pakistan continues to insist that the strikes targeted “drone storage and technical support infrastructure and ammunition storage sites.”
Details of the strike
UNAMA documented that three airstrikes hit the facility, which treated individuals recovering from drug addiction. The attacks occurred shortly after evening tarawih prayers, when many patients were in or near the mosque and sleeping areas.
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- The first strike impacted the mosque and sleeping quarters.
- The second hit food storage containers and additional sleeping areas.
- The third struck vocational training buildings, many constructed of wood, triggering a large fire.
Most casualties resulted from shrapnel wounds and burns. The vast majority of victims were male patients at the hospital.
UNAMA noted that the true death toll may be significantly higher due to destroyed patient records, unidentified or dismembered remains, missing persons, and families who removed bodies directly for burial.
Afghan authorities reported even higher figures: over 411 killed and more than 261 injured.
UNAMA teams visited the damaged site on multiple occasions, observed extensive destruction, interviewed survivors, families, healthcare workers, and morgue staff, and viewed graphic evidence of the harm inflicted.
Pakistani and Afghan reaction
The UNAMA report clearly attributes the March 16 airstrikes — and 94 out of 95 total cross-border incidents documented between January and March 2026 — to Pakistani security forces. One incident was attributed to Afghan forces.
Pakistan’s Embassy in Afghanistan told UNAMA in writing that the strikes targeted “drone storage and technical support infrastructure and ammunition storage sites” used by the “Taliban regime” to attack Pakistan.
The embassy described the operation as “precise, deliberate and professional” and stated that “No hospital, drug rehabilitation centre, or civilian facility was targeted.”
Pakistani military officials also rejected accusations that the hospital itself was deliberately targeted, arguing that secondary explosions and fires contributed to the scale of destruction.
Islamabad has continued to frame the operation as part of a broader counterterrorism campaign against “militant groups” allegedly operating from Afghan territory.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan condemned the attack, held mass funerals for victims, and called for international accountability. Afghan officials provided UNAMA with their own casualty figures, which were significantly higher than those independently verified by the UN mission.
This incident accounted for over half of the 769 total civilian casualties (372 killed and 397 injured) that UNAMA verified in Afghanistan from cross-border violence during the first quarter of 2026.
The Omid Hospital airstrikes occurred amid renewed hostilities that began in late February 2026, following the breakdown of an earlier ceasefire. Diplomatic talks, hosted by China, started in early April.
Tensions between Kabul and Islamabad remain high.
