"Airstrike on Rehabilitation Center Causes Over 400 Deaths"? Afghanistan and Pakistan in Heated Dispute

[Global Times Special Correspondent in Pakistan, Huang Xiaona] Afghan government spokesman Mujahid stated on social media on the 17th that the Pakistani military conducted a new round of airstrikes on Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, from the evening of the 16th to the early morning of the 17th, with shells hitting a drug rehabilitation center in eastern Kabul, resulting in over 400 deaths. The Pakistani military immediately refuted Afghanistan's claims, stating that the airstrikes were a response to the continuous provocations from the Afghan Taliban regime and were aimed solely at "precisely eliminating Taliban military facilities and terrorist hideouts."

According to the Associated Press, Afghan government deputy spokesman Zaman stated that the building facilities of the Kabul drug rehabilitation center were completely destroyed, and the death toll may rise further, with an additional 250 people injured, "most of the casualties are ordinary patients receiving treatment at the center." Local television reports from Kabul indicated that the rehabilitation center had about 2,000 beds and was attacked around 9 PM on the 16th.

Mr. Liu, a Chinese citizen working in Kabul, told Global Times reporters that on the evening of the 16th, at least three loud explosions were heard in the urban area and suburbs of Kabul, along with the sound of drones flying, but the specific locations of the explosions were unclear.

Mujahid stated on social media that Pakistan not only violated Afghanistan's airspace but also that its airstrike on the drug rehabilitation center "violated humanitarian principles."

In response to the Afghan accusations, the Pakistan Ministry of Information and Broadcasting stated in a message to Global Times that Afghanistan was spreading false news, claiming that "the so-called drug rehabilitation center is located within a military camp armed with lethal weapons and ammunition," and that some of the photos and videos released by the Afghan side were suspected of being AI-generated.

The Pakistan Armed Forces' media wing released a statement on the 17th, indicating that the Pakistani military continued its "Operation Righteous Fury" from the evening of the 16th to the early morning of the 17th, conducting precise airstrikes on "military facilities aiding the Afghan Taliban regime in carrying out terrorist activities" in Kabul and Nangarhar province, destroying enemy ammunition depots, logistical buildings, and technical infrastructure. The statement emphasized that to protect the Pakistani people from the persecution of terrorist organizations and their "puppet masters," Pakistan would continue its military operations.