The United Nations confirmed on May 12 that a Pakistani airstrike killed at least 269 civilians, including patients and staff, at the Omid Drug Rehabilitation Hospital in Kabul on March 16, 2026.
The hospital, located on the former Camp Phoenix along the Kabul-Jalalabad highway, housed patients recovering from addiction to synthetic drugs. The UN report said many victims were dismembered or burned, making identification more difficult
Families interviewed by the BBC, including those of 24-year-old Mirwais and 35-year-old Mohammad Anwar Walizada, rejected Pakistan’s claim that the facility was a militant training site. Human Rights Watch called the attack an “unlawful attack and possible war crime.”
The strike destroyed housing blocks, vocational areas, and food storage units, triggering large fires. Doctors and witnesses described victims as civilians seeking treatment, with some identifying bodies via clothing or birthmarks.
The Taliban government in Afghanistan condemned the strike and called for an international investigation, while Pakistan maintains the target was “military and terrorist infrastructure” linked to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants.
The attack has worsened tensions between Kabul and Islamabad, shattering the relative stability that followed the Taliban takeover in 2021. Families continue to grapple with the loss and lack of accountability.
