The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan confirmed 143 deaths on Wednesday from a Pakistani airstrike that struck a drug rehabilitation center in Kabul on Monday night. The facility, known as Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, housed hundreds of patients recovering from addiction at the time of the attack.

The strike occurred around 9 p.m. local time in Kabul's Hootkhail area in District 9, destroying large sections of the main building, bunk bed units, and container housing. Afghan Taliban officials initially reported at least 408 people killed and 265 wounded, overwhelming hospitals in the capital with casualties. Rescue teams recovered bodies from debris amid fires that burned overnight, with morgues unable to handle the influx.

Pakistan rejected claims that it deliberately targeted the civilian facility, which originated as a U.S. military base known as Camp Qargha before conversion to a rehab center under Taliban control. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated the military struck 'terrorist support infrastructure and ammunition storage facilities' in two Kabul locations, describing the operation as 'precise, deliberate and professional' with secondary explosions confirming munitions presence. Islamabad accused the Taliban of sheltering Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan.

The incident forms part of the 2026 Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict, which erupted on February 21 with Pakistani airstrikes on militant camps in eastern Afghan provinces targeting TTP and ISIS-K hideouts. Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab Lil Haq on February 26, expanding strikes to Taliban positions amid cross-border clashes. The UN has documented 76 civilian deaths and 213 injuries across the fighting so far, with over 115,000 Afghans displaced.

Survivors and families gathered at the site on Tuesday, searching for loved ones amid fears the center's destruction would hinder addiction recovery efforts in Kabul. Pakistan announced a five-day pause in airstrikes starting Thursday for Eid al-Fitr at the urging of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey, with the Taliban reciprocating. The World Food Programme mobilized aid for 20,000 displaced Afghan families as the humanitarian toll mounts.