Rescue teams are continuing to pull bodies from the smoking rubble of a drug rehabilitation centre in the Afghan capital, Kabul, which was hit on Monday night in a devastating Pakistani air strike.
The attack on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, which occurred around 21:00 local time (16:30 GMT), marks one of the deadliest incidents of violence between Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent history.
The strike took place as residents were breaking their daily fast for the holy month of Ramadan. Official figures suggest a death toll of approximately 400, although this has yet to be confirmed by independent sources. Many others were reported injured.
One survivor, Mohammad Shafee, recalled, I was in the kitchen helping to serve dinner when I heard a loud bang and ran for safety. When I returned later, I found most of our colleagues and people in the dining room hit. Only five of us survived.
Eyewitness accounts from various individuals at the facility describe a scene of devastation, with jets striking three parts of the centre as patients had just finished their meals or were engaged in congregational prayer. Doctor Maiwand Hoshmand recounted, Patients had just finished dinner when the jets hit, causing chaos and destruction.
Ahmad, another patient, vividly described the inferno: The whole place caught fire. It was like doomsday... My friends were burning and we could not save them all. Rescuers on the scene were met with a horrific sight of charred remains being pulled from the ruins, with reports of disfigured bodies complicating identification.
In the aftermath, families gathered at the facility in despair, searching for news of missing loved ones. One woman expressed her anguish, stating, Gul Meer was in the facility for over seven months now. I have no information about him since the attack.
UN officials have noted the rising hostilities in the region, which have included reports of attacks on health facilities. Pakistan has dismissed claims of intentionally targeting the rehab centre as baseless, maintaining it only struck at military installations.
The Omid Addiction Treatment centre had served various roles over the years, previously a military training compound, it was repurposed into a rehabilitation facility but has been maxing out its capacity following the Taliban's aggressive anti-drug measures.
This tragic incident highlights the toll of prolonged conflict in the region, raising urgent calls for accountability and a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attack.
