A Pakistani airstrike has levelled a rehabilitation facility in Kabul, killing at least 15 and wounding dozens more, according to Afghan officials. The attack, which occurred at dawn local time, targeted a compound in the Darulaman district that housed a drug treatment centre. Among those evacuated were three British aid workers, the Foreign Office confirmed, as diplomatic tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours escalate to their highest point in years.
The strike comes amid a broader deterioration of relations following the Taliban’s capture of the border town of Spin Boldak last month. Pakistan has accused the Taliban of harbouring militants from the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who have staged deadly cross-border raids. The rehabilitation centre, however, had no known militant links, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which supported the facility.
“This is a clear violation of international humanitarian law,” said Dr. Helena Vance, Science & Climate Correspondent. “The targeting of a medical facility, irrespective of the political context, represents a dangerous disregard for civilian life and sets a perilous precedent for the region.”
The British nationals were airlifted by helicopter to Bagram Airfield, where a Royal Air Force C-130 Hercules waited to transport them to a safe location. The Foreign Office has issued a travel advisory urging all British citizens to leave Afghanistan immediately. “The situation is volatile and could deteriorate further with little warning,” a spokesperson said.
The attack on the rehabilitation centre has drawn widespread condemnation. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) called for an independent investigation, while the European Union expressed “grave concern” over the rising civilian toll. The Taliban, which has not yet commented on the strike, has previously denied links to the TTP.
This incident highlights the brutal reality of a conflict that has killed over 40,000 civilians since 2001, according to the Costs of War Project. In 2021 alone, drone strikes and ground operations have killed 2,000 non-combatants, many in attacks on hospitals and schools. The airstrike in Kabul is the deadliest single attack on a medical facility since the bombing of a Médecins Sans Frontières hospital in Kunduz in 2015, which killed 42.
Pakistan’s military has defended the operation, stating it was a “precision strike against a terrorist hideout”. Spokesperson Major General Babar Iftikhar claimed “multiple intelligence sources” confirmed the target. But satellite imagery analysed by Dr. Vance shows the building bore no signs of military use: no fortifications, no armoured vehicles, and no perimeter security. “The structure is consistent with a civilian rehabilitation centre,” she said. “The claim of a hideout does not withstand scrutiny.”
The incident raises urgent questions about the use of airstrikes in populated areas. In the past decade, Pakistan has intensified its bombing campaigns in the border regions, using F-16s and JF-17 Thunder jets equipped with precision-guided munitions. Yet civilian casualties remain stubbornly high. According to the Pakistan Air Force’s own data, over 1,000 civilians have been killed in such strikes since 2008.
“We are witnessing a pattern of escalating violence that is destabilising the entire region,” said Dr. Vance. “The temptation to use overwhelming force against elusive insurgents leads inevitably to civilian deaths, which in turn fuels further recruitment for the very groups we are trying to eliminate. It is a feedback loop that has no end without a fundamental change in strategy.”
As the sun sets over Kabul, locals gather at the site of the destroyed centre, sifting through the rubble for loved ones. Among the debris, a single green wall stands with a faded mural depicting a ladder climbing toward a sun. The symbolism is painfully ironic. For now, the ladder of peace remains out of reach, buried under the weight of a perpetual war.
