Afghan authorities said that hundreds of people died following an overnight air strike in the capital, Kabul, with the reported toll continuing to rise as rescue operations remain ongoing.
The Afghan health ministry stated that “around 400” people were killed in the strike on a drug rehabilitation centre.
Spokesman Sharafat Zaman said at a news conference:
The toll is not final as the rescue operation is still going on but we have around 400 martyrs and more than 200 wounded.
Interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani provided a slightly higher figure, reporting “408 killed and 265 wounded” at the same briefing.
The strike took place on the night of Monday, March 16th and is part of a cross-border conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Afghan officials describe the target as a civilian facility, while Pakistan denied striking civilians. Islamabad stated that it had carried out precision strikes on
military installations and terrorist support infrastructure.
Afghan authorities called on victims’ families to allow their loved ones to be buried in a communal grave during Ramadan.
The Italian non-governmental organization Emergency said it had received three bodies and was treating 27 wounded at its Kabul hospital, indicating that casualties were likely significant.
