Pakistan Airstrike on Kabul Rehab Centre Leaves Hundreds Dead and Families Seeking Justice

The deadly Pakistani airstrike on the Omid Drug Rehabilitation Hospital in Kabul has left Afghanistan grieving and searching for answers after at least 269 people were killed in one of the deadliest attacks in the country’s recent history.The strike, which took place on 16 March, targeted a rehabilitation centre filled with recovering drug addicts, medical workers, and support staff. According to a new United Nations report, the true death toll could be even higher due to the number of bodies destroyed or left unidentifiable in the explosion and resulting fires.The attack has intensified tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan while triggering growing international calls for an investigation into possible war crimes.

Families Search for Loved Ones After Kabul Airstrike

Victims Buried in Mass Graves

In a hillside cemetery in north-west Kabul, grieving families continue visiting mass graves where many victims from the Omid rehabilitation centre were buried.Among them is 27-year-old Masooda, who lost her younger brother Mirwais in the attack. She says only parts of his body were recovered after the bombing.“My brother’s body was in pieces,” she said while standing near the burial site. “They just found his torso. I identified him through a birthmark.”Many victims were reportedly burned beyond recognition, leaving families struggling for days to identify loved ones through clothing fragments, scars, or personal belongings.

UN Says Death Toll Could Be Higher

The United Nations confirmed at least 269 deaths but acknowledged the real number may be significantly larger. According to investigators, several bodies could not be identified because of severe burns, shrapnel wounds, and dismemberment caused by the explosions and fires that spread across the facility.The scale of destruction has shocked Afghanistan, even after decades of war involving the Taliban, NATO forces, and regional conflicts.

Pakistan Denies Targeting Civilians

Islamabad Claims Military Targets Were Hit

Pakistan strongly disputes allegations that the airstrike targeted civilians.In a statement, the Pakistani military insisted that no hospital or civilian rehabilitation centre was attacked and claimed the site was being used as “military and terrorist infrastructure.”Pakistani military spokesman Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry later alleged that drug addicts at the facility were being trained as suicide bombers.

Families Reject Pakistan’s Claims

Families of victims, hospital employees, and witnesses have strongly rejected those allegations.Masooda says the facility was clearly a rehabilitation hospital filled with patients trying to recover from addiction.“Pakistan is lying,” she said. “Those men had come there for treatment and healing.”The BBC reportedly spoke with dozens of affected families who all denied the centre had any military purpose.

Omid Rehab Centre Was a Well-Known Medical Facility

Hospital Operated Since 2016

The Omid Drug Rehabilitation Hospital opened in 2016 at the site of a former NATO and US military base known as Camp Phoenix.The rehabilitation centre had been publicly operating for years and was widely known inside Afghanistan. International media outlets and humanitarian organisations had previously visited the facility, including BBC journalists who reported from inside the hospital in 2023.Fiona Frazer said the centre was located close to major UN offices in Kabul and was well known to international organisations operating in the city.

Drug Addiction Crisis in Afghanistan

Millions Struggle With Addiction

Afghanistan continues facing a severe addiction crisis, with an estimated three million Afghans struggling with narcotics and synthetic drugs.Many victims at the Omid centre were reportedly addicted to “Tablet-K,” a dangerous street drug that may contain methamphetamine, opioids, or MDMA depending on its composition.Mirwais, one of the victims, had reportedly been studying pharmacy before addiction destroyed his future.“He was a simple boy who fell into a bad habit,” Masooda explained.

Poverty Drives Many Into Drug Abuse

Several grieving families said poverty, unemployment, and economic hardship pushed relatives toward addiction. Mohammad Anwar Walizada, another victim, had been supporting six children by selling bottled water from a tricycle cart before addiction overtook his life. His brother Sediq Walizada said financial pressure and hopelessness drove him toward drugs. “He didn’t turn to drugs for fun,” Sediq said. “He turned to it because of poverty and hardship.”

Horrific Scenes Described by Doctors and Witnesses

Survivors Describe Fire and Chaos

Doctors working at the facility described horrifying scenes after multiple bombs struck the rehabilitation centre. According to one doctor who spoke anonymously, the bombs hit patient housing areas, administrative offices, storage units, and vocational training buildings constructed largely from wood.The strikes triggered massive fires that spread rapidly through the complex.
“I have never seen such a horrific scene,” the doctor said. “The smell of burning flesh was everywhere.”

Families Faced Agonizing Searches

Because hospital admission records were destroyed in the fire, many families spent days searching hospitals and morgues while examining photos of burned bodies hoping to identify relatives. Some families never found remains at all due to the intensity of the destruction. The trauma has left many survivors emotionally devastated and fearful about Afghanistan’s future security situation.

Calls Grow for War Crimes Investigation

Human Rights Groups Demand Accountability

Human Rights Watch described the attack as “an unlawful attack and a possible war crime.” The Taliban government has also condemned the bombing and called for an international investigation into the incident.Taliban deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said targeting civilians violates international law and demanded those responsible be prosecuted.

Pakistan-Afghanistan Conflict Continues to Escalate

Rising Border Violence Increases Regional Tensions

The Kabul rehab centre attack comes amid months of growing military tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Islamabad accuses the Taliban government of providing shelter to militant groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), both blamed for deadly attacks inside Pakistan.The Taliban government denies allowing militant groups to operate from Afghan territory.The worsening conflict has led to repeated airstrikes, border clashes, and increasingly hostile rhetoric between both governments.

Fear Returns to Kabul After Years of Relative Calm

Since the Taliban regained power in 2021, many Afghans had slowly adjusted to a period of reduced large-scale warfare compared with previous decades.However, the devastating attack on the Omid rehabilitation centre has shattered feelings of safety in Kabul and renewed fears of broader violence returning to the country.
For many grieving families, justice feels unlikely.
“We are oppressed people,” one victim’s brother said. “We do not have the power to respond. May God bring the perpetrators to justice.”