{"id":39571,"date":"2026-03-19T13:23:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T17:23:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/pakistan-rejects-taliban-claims-about-deadly-kabul-hospital-strike\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T13:23:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T17:23:28","slug":"pakistan-rejects-taliban-claims-about-deadly-kabul-hospital-strike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/pakistan-rejects-taliban-claims-about-deadly-kabul-hospital-strike\/","title":{"rendered":"Pakistan Rejects Taliban Claims About Deadly Kabul Hospital Strike"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Pakistani officials on Tuesday firmly disputed Afghan Taliban assertions that Pakistan Air Force aircraft bombed a medical facility in Kabul during overnight strikes on March 16. Taliban leaders alleged the attack on a hospital or drug treatment center resulted in 400 patient deaths, though independent confirmation remains unavailable.<\/p>

Pakistani authorities maintain their aircraft targeted Taliban military installations rather than healthcare facilities, while Taliban representatives characterized the bombing as a mass-casualty assault on civilians.<\/p>

Security officials from Pakistan stated the location housed weapons and explosives. They cited a large explosion visible throughout Kabul and surrounding areas as proof that significant amounts of combustible materials were stockpiled at the site. A high-ranking security official informed The Media Line that such operations occur only following thorough surveillance and intelligence confirmation from various sources, emphasizing that the air force strikes only validated targets without causing unintended damage.<\/p>

Information Minister Ataullah Tarar reported that Pakistan’s military conducted targeted airstrikes against Afghan Taliban military bases in Kabul and Nangarhar provinces that were reportedly supporting terrorist activities.<\/p>

“The strikes targeted two locations in Kabul and four in Nangarhar, including ammunition depots, logistics hubs, and technical infrastructure used to back militant proxies,” he added.<\/p>

Tarar stated the Nangarhar operations hit facilities and equipment that Pakistan claims the Taliban used to assist proxy militant organizations. He also dismissed Taliban assertions of civilian fatalities.<\/p>

Taliban representatives provided vastly different details. Kabul deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat alleged that the attack on a drug treatment facility resulted in 400 deaths and 250 wounded.<\/p>

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s primary spokesperson, independently verified that air raids occurred and declared that diplomatic options with Islamabad were exhausted, stating the organization would pursue retaliation.<\/p>

The core disagreement centers on both the target’s nature and casualty numbers. Taliban officials characterized the location as a treatment facility or medical center. Ahmad Nabizada, a former Afghan intelligence official based in Kabul, informed The Media Line that “PAF jets targeted the former US Phoenix camp, which was used by the regime’s Defense Ministry for storing leftover US ammunition and other explosives.”<\/p>

Nabizada reported witnessing the camp ablaze and claimed the neighboring medical building was subsequently ignited and destroyed to hide the Phoenix camp’s devastation. He also challenged the reported casualty figures. The Media Line could not independently confirm these assertions.<\/p>

Khaama Press, an Afghan digital news outlet referencing local sources, also documented that Pakistan conducted multiple air raids throughout the region, striking Jalalabad Airport and the Achin, Khogyani, and Shinwari districts. Regional authorities in Nangarhar have not released official casualty or damage reports from these attacks.<\/p>

Pakistani representatives said the Nangarhar operations targeted terrorist hideouts, including weapons storage facilities and operational headquarters.<\/p>

Islamabad reports the campaign extended beyond the disputed Kabul locations to strike central Taliban security infrastructure. During the weekend, Pakistan Air Force jets hit the Badri Unit training facility in Kandahar, the elite forces unit responsible for protecting Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.<\/p>

The heavily protected compound, located near a site associated with deceased Taliban founder Mullah Omar, represents one of the most reliable units under Akhundzada’s personal authority. Afghan news sources reported substantial casualties and destruction of arms and ammunition at the location, though precise numbers remain unverified.<\/p>

Regional sources informed The Media Line that Akhundzada survived and evacuated to a protected area, contradicting early social media reports claiming his death.<\/p>

Pakistan describes the current military action as part of a comprehensive campaign initiated after diplomatic efforts failed. Following what it characterized as exhausting all non-military methods to convince the Afghan Taliban to stop sheltering the prohibited Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), associated terrorist networks, the Balochistan Liberation Army, and al-Qaida, Pakistan began Operation Righteous Fury on February 26.<\/p>

While Pakistan conducted operations along its western frontier, the United States and Israel initiated Operation Epic Fury\/Roaring Lion against Iran on February 28. This timing overlap has complicated mediation efforts, strained diplomatic relations, and diverted international focus across a region already experiencing multiple simultaneous conflicts.<\/p>

Following Righteous Fury’s launch, Pakistan’s military has executed continuous cross-border missions targeting armed organizations and Taliban-associated locations within Afghan territory.<\/p>

The Pakistan Army’s communications division reports that air and ground units struck TTP safe houses, training facilities, weapons storage sites, and Taliban installations throughout Kabul, Kandahar, Khost, Nangarhar, Paktia, and Paktika provinces.<\/p>

Military announcements claim hundreds of terrorists were eliminated, over 600 Taliban fighters died in initial operations, and dozens of outposts, vehicles, and critical attack infrastructure were destroyed. These statistics lack independent verification.<\/p>

International alarm has increased alongside the escalating conflict. Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on Afghanistan, voiced concern regarding recent airstrikes and called on both parties to reduce tensions. “I urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint and respect international law, including the protection of civilians and civilian objects such as hospitals,” he said.<\/p>

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also advocated for peaceful resolution of the Afghanistan-Pakistan dispute. He cautioned that military force would heighten tensions and endanger regional stability. China has pursued mediation initiatives, with its special Afghanistan envoy actively traveling between Kabul and Islamabad recently.<\/p>

The Pakistan-Afghanistan confrontation has received less international attention than the broader Middle East conflict, yet stems from a persistent disagreement with significant regional consequences. Pakistan has consistently accused Afghanistan’s Taliban administration of sheltering terrorist organizations, especially TTP, which Islamabad blames for cross-border attacks. Kabul rejects these accusations.<\/p>

Farzana Shah, a Peshawar-based defense analyst and regional armed groups expert, informed The Media Line that “the current Pakistan\u2013Afghanistan confrontation represents the kinetic phase of a long-simmering security rupture centered on cross-border militancy.”<\/p>

She added that “since early 2026, Pakistan has shifted from defensive to pre-emptive airpower projection inside Afghanistan, targeting TTP sanctuaries and what it frames as enabling infrastructure under Taliban oversight.”<\/p>

Shah noted the campaign might achieve short-term operational success but has not compelled the Taliban to break connections with TTP. Instead, she explained, Kabul has dismissed the accusations, reframed the situation as sovereignty violation, and transformed a counterterrorism disagreement into direct interstate conflict.<\/p>

According to her assessment, the conflict will likely develop into an extended, low-level confrontation featuring periodic strikes, revenge attacks, and proxy escalation within Pakistan.<\/p>

Muhammed Yasir Abassen, an Afghan political analyst and conflict specialist, concentrated on diplomatic prospects. He informed The Media Line that Pakistan will probably continue measured cross-border and remote strikes to discourage armed groups while attempting to prevent broader regional escalation.<\/p>

Abassen predicted the Afghan Taliban will likely maintain defensive positioning, publicly rejecting the presence of groups like TTP, strengthening internal security, and avoiding direct conventional retaliation. He noted that without reliable verification or political discussions addressing the fundamental disagreement over safe havens, tensions will probably continue or worsen, despite potential temporary relief from regional mediation.<\/p>

Additional evidence of internal Afghan pressure appeared in local media coverage. Taliban intelligence has cautioned local news organizations against reporting casualties from Pakistani airstrikes, warning such coverage could result in “serious consequences.”<\/p>

Amu TV, referencing sources, reported Tuesday that the warning was distributed through WhatsApp to journalists, with Taliban intelligence monitoring border area reporting.<\/p>

The advisory emerged as cross-border fighting with Pakistan reached its 20th day and independent examination of civilian casualty claims became increasingly difficult to maintain.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pakistan strongly disputes Afghan Taliban allegations that its air force bombed a medical facility in Kabul, killing 400 people. Pakistani officials maintain they targeted military weapons depots, not civilian hospitals, as part of ongoing cross-border operations against terrorist groups.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":39570,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[832],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773941000264.jpg?fit=189%2C54&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-aif","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":38022,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/taliban-claims-400-dead-in-pakistan-strike-on-kabul-hospital\/","url_meta":{"origin":39571,"position":0},"title":"Taliban Claims 400 Dead in Pakistan Strike on Kabul Hospital","author":"Admin","date":"March 16, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Afghan Taliban government reports that a Pakistani air strike on a drug rehabilitation facility in Kabul resulted in 400 deaths and 250 injuries. 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