KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — Reuters, citing an unnamed official from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), reported that 143 people were killed in an attack on a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul.
The attack targeted the “Omid” rehabilitation centre in eastern Kabul on Monday night. The UNAMA source did not provide further details.
Earlier, the Taliban had claimed that at least 400 people were killed and 250 others injured in the attack. The group has blamed Pakistan for the incident, though Islamabad has rejected the allegations, stating that it had only targeted military installations and terrorist-support infrastructure.
Regional Reactions
Ismail Baqaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed deep concern over the escalation of hostilities between the Taliban and Pakistan. He emphasized the need for diplomacy to prevent further tensions.
Speaking on Wednesday, Baqaei described the loss of life and destruction of property in a neighbouring Muslim country as “very regrettable” and offered Iran’s readiness to assist in resolving disputes and reducing tensions.
The clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan have been ongoing for more than two weeks, and Pakistan carried out airstrikes on targets in Kabul on Monday night.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack, accusing Pakistan of deliberately creating “anarchy” in Afghanistan to keep the country weak and vulnerable.
In an interview with Sky News, Karzai described the bombing of the Omid centre as a “deeply regrettable” event in the history of relations between the two countries.
Karzai said he personally heard the explosion, noting that his house shook from the blast and the surrounding area was filled with smoke and dust.
He criticized Pakistan for failing to maintain rational and stable relations with Afghanistan under any government, from the monarchy to successive republics, and accused Islamabad of relying for decades on creating instability in Afghanistan.
He added that Pakistan’s current government continues the same approach to weaken the Taliban and expressed hope that Pakistan would shift towards a more stable and civilized relationship with Afghanistan.
“Please stop the approaches that did not work in the past for decades and it may not work into the future,” he said.
Pakistan has said its strikes “precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure, including technical equipment storage and ammunition storage of Afghan Taliban” and other militants in Kabul and Nangarhar.
It added that the facilities were being used against innocent Pakistani civilians, and also said “false and misleading” claims that the site was struck were intended to stir sentiment and cover “illegitimate support for cross-border terrorism”.
