Richard Bennett, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, has called for a full and independent investigation into the recent deadly Pakistani airstrike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul.
In a statement posted on X, Bennett said more than 269 civilians were killed during the March 15 airstrike on the addiction treatment center in eastern Kabul.
The UN rights expert warned that “intentional attacks against civilians or civilian facilities may constitute war crimes.”
He also urged the Taliban authorities to ensure the protection and safety of patients receiving treatment in medical facilities across Afghanistan.
On the evening of March 15, Pakistani warplanes carried out strikes under an operation known as “Ghadhab Lil Haq,” targeting areas in Kabul.
One of the sites hit was the Omid rehabilitation center, which had operated since 2016 as one of Afghanistan’s largest addiction treatment facilities with capacity for nearly 2,000 patients.
While the United Nations confirmed the deaths of at least 269 civilians and injuries to another 122 people, Taliban officials claimed the death toll exceeded 400.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have also described the strike as unlawful, disproportionate, and potentially a war crime, calling for an independent investigation and accountability from Islamabad.
The Taliban described the bombing as a “deliberate massacre of patients and civilians” and said the Omid center was purely a medical facility with no military connection.
Pakistan, however, rejected those accusations and stated that the operation targeted military facilities, ammunition depots, and infrastructure allegedly linked to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan.
Islamabad claimed the rehabilitation center was not directly targeted and argued that secondary explosions caused by stored ammunition in the area led to damage to nearby buildings.
