Pakistan Denies Afghan Claim of 400 Casualties in Kabul Hospital Airstrike

Islamabad. Pakistan has rejected the Afghan claim that more than 400 people were killed in an airstrike on a hospital in Kabul, calling the assertion misleading and false.

According to information provided by a spokesperson for the Afghan Taliban government on Tuesday, it was claimed that more than 400 people were killed and 250 injured in an attack on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul. However, Pakistan has denied the accusation, stating that its attack was focused solely on military targets.

Pakistan's Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, stated via social media, "We have precisely targeted only military structures and terrorist support infrastructure." He also indicated that explosions seen after the attack suggested a large cache of weapons was stored there. The conflict that began last month between the two neighboring countries has recently escalated significantly. This is considered the most serious tense situation to date between the two nations, which share a common border approximately 2,600 kilometers long.

Previously, some friendly nations had attempted to mediate and bring the situation under control. China, in particular, urged both sides to exercise restraint and return to negotiations. China has also indicated its continued readiness to help de-escalate the tension. However, the latest airstrike, occurring as Eid al-Fitr, celebrated near the end of the month of Ramadan, approaches, has complicated the situation again.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are caught in conflict at a time when West Asia is unstable due to the joint attack by the US and Israel on Iran and the subsequent developments. According to analysts, the rising tension in both South and West Asia could seriously impact not only regional security but also international stability.