Pakistan launches air strikes in Afghanistan; Taliban says hospital attack kills 400

Afghanistan on Tuesday accused Pakistan of an airstrike on a hospital treating drug addicts in Kabul, saying the attack killed more than 400 people.Pakistan denies the accusation, saying its airstrikes – also carried out in eastern Afghanistan – target only military and “terror” locations.According to the Associated Press, Health Ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman announced the death toll in a television interview with local media. He said all parts of the detox hospital had been destroyed. However, deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said the death toll had risen to 400, with 250 injured. A huge explosion rocked the Afghan capital at around 9:00 pm local time, with plumes of smoke visible from the Shahr-e-Naw and Wazir Akbar Khan areas. Local television footage showed firefighters working to extinguish flames in the ruins of the building.Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on He said most of the dead and injured were drug addicts being treated at the facility.Pakistan’s Information Ministry said the attack “precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure, including technical equipment storage and ammunition storage of the Afghan Taliban” as well as Afghan-Pakistani militants based in Kabul and Nangarhar. The sites were “used against innocent Pakistani civilians,” the statement said.The ministry added that Pakistan’s targeting was “precise and careful to ensure no collateral damage”. It described Mujahid’s claims as “false and misleading” aimed at inflaming emotions and covering up what it called “illegal support for cross-border terrorism”.Pakistani troops have repeatedly attacked Kabul in recent weeks, amid heightened tensions amid accusations that Afghanistan’s Taliban government is harboring militants who carry out attacks in Pakistan.The latest developments come as deadly clashes continue on the two countries’ shared border.Pakistan has repeatedly said its troops only target Afghan posts and militant hideouts. Islamabad officials described the situation as an “open war” with the conflict including multiple Pakistani airstrikes against the president in Kabul Asif Ali Zardari The Afghan Taliban government crossed a “red line” last week by deploying drones in Pakistan, injuring several civilians.In response, the Pakistan Air Force over the weekend raided equipment storage sites and “technical support infrastructure” in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, saying the sites were being used to launch attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul said Pakistan struck two locations, including an empty security site and a drug treatment center that suffered minor damage.In Kabul, Afghan Deputy Prime Minister for Administration Abdul Salam Hanafi said defending sovereignty was the responsibility of all citizens. Speaking at a meeting with political analysts and media figures, Hanafi expressed regret for the civilian casualties caused by recent attacks in Pakistan and said the war was imposed on Afghanistan.