Kabul: The Taliban-led Ministry of Interior has issued a stern warning to Islamabad, promising a “teeth-breaking response” following a devastating airstrike on a Kabul hospital that reportedly killed 400 people.
Ministry spokesperson Abdul Matin Qane characterized the strike on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital as a major escalation and a direct violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty. “Such attacks cannot go unanswered,” Qane stated on Tuesday, as emergency teams continued to pull bodies from the rubble in the Pul-e-Charkhi area.
A Cycle of Escalation
The tensions between the two neighbors have reached a breaking point following weeks of cross-border hostilities:
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February 21–27: Hostilities began with Pakistani strikes on militants, followed by retaliatory Afghan operations against Pakistani military installations.
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Operation Ghazab lil-Haq: Pakistan launched this “Righteous Fury” campaign in response to what it termed “unprovoked firing” by Afghan forces.
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Recent Strikes: Beyond Kabul, Afghan officials report Pakistani air raids in Kandahar, Paktika, Khost, and Nangarhar, including a strike on a Kandahar oil depot.
Conflicting Narratives
While Afghan authorities condemn the operations as attacks on infrastructure and civilians, Islamabad maintains that it is targeting militant groups using Afghan soil to launch terror attacks inside Pakistan.
With 400 dead and 250 injured in the latest hospital strike, the humanitarian toll is fueling a dangerous military standoff that threatens regional stability.
