Afghanistan's Taliban government accused Pakistan of launching an airstrike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul late Monday, claiming the attack killed at least 400 people and injured 250 others. The strike hit the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, a state-run facility treating drug users, around 9 p.m. local time, destroying large sections of the 2,000-bed center.

Rescue teams continued digging through rubble and charred debris early Tuesday, with ambulances ferrying victims from the site. Survivor Ahmad, 50, described the scene as 'like doomsday,' saying flames engulfed his friends inside the facility. An AFP team witnessed at least 30 bodies at the scene shortly after the strike, and Afghan health officials confirmed no military targets were nearby.

Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Taliban government, reported the casualty figures on social media, stating large parts of the hospital were obliterated. Taliban officials, including deputy information minister Zabihullah Mujahid and Suhail Shaheen, condemned the strike as a 'crime against humanity' and vowed retaliation.

Pakistan rejected the accusations, with Information Minister Attaullah Tarar asserting the military conducted precision strikes on terrorist infrastructure and military installations in Kabul and Nangarhar provinces to protect its civilians. A Pakistani statement highlighted 'secondary detonations' as evidence of ammunition depots at the sites, denying any collateral damage or targeting of civilians.

The attack marks a sharp escalation in the ongoing 2026 Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict, which erupted in February over Islamabad's claims that Kabul harbors anti-Pakistan militants like the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Pakistan has conducted multiple cross-border operations since then, prompting Afghan retaliation and disrupting a prior Qatar-brokered ceasefire. The two nations share a disputed 2,600-km border fraught with militancy.

International reactions poured in overnight. China called for de-escalation and renewed mediation efforts, while UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett expressed dismay over civilian deaths and urged respect for international law. India condemned Pakistan's actions as 'barbaric,' particularly during Ramadan. Casualty figures remain unverified independently, amid ongoing rescue operations.