Families Demand Answers After Pakistani Strike Kills 269 Afghans at Rehab Centre

Families of victims killed in a Pakistani airstrike on a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul are demanding answers and an independent investigation months after the deadly attack that reportedly killed at least 269 people.

The strike, which occurred on March 16, targeted the Omid Drug Rehabilitation Hospital, a major treatment facility in the Afghan capital. According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, at least 269 people were confirmed dead, although Afghan authorities claimed the death toll was significantly higher.

Relatives of victims say many of those killed were patients receiving treatment for drug addiction, alongside medical workers and civilians sheltering inside the facility. Survivors and grieving families have accused Pakistan of targeting a civilian medical centre and are calling for international accountability.

Pakistan has strongly denied intentionally targeting civilians, insisting that its military operation focused on “terrorist infrastructure” and militant facilities allegedly linked to armed groups operating from Afghan territory. Pakistani officials described the strikes as “precise military action” and rejected accusations that a hospital was deliberately hit.

However, humanitarian organisations and international observers have raised concerns over the scale of civilian casualties. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights called for an independent investigation, warning that attacks on civilians and medical facilities could amount to violations of international humanitarian law.

The attack has further heightened tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan amid growing cross-border clashes and accusations over militant activity along their shared frontier. Analysts say the incident could deepen instability in the region and worsen already strained diplomatic relations between the neighbouring countries.

Families of victims continue to visit cemeteries and hospitals in Kabul searching for closure, with many saying they still do not understand why a rehabilitation centre filled with vulnerable patients became the target of one of the deadliest strikes in recent regional conflict.