‘Barbaric, cowardly attack’: India seeks global action against Pak over Kabul strike
New Delhi backs Kabul’s claim of mass civilian casualties, urges accountability, while Pakistan denies targeting hospital and rejects allegations
India has strongly condemned Pakistan over airstrikes in Kabul, describing the attack on a hospital as “barbaric” and “cowardly.” The reaction followed claims by the Taliban regime that at least 400 people were killed when a drug rehabilitation hospital in the Afghan capital was hit late Monday night.
In a sharply worded statement on the reported strike on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said, “This is a cowardly and unconscionable act of violence that has claimed the lives of a large number of civilians in a facility which can by no means be justified as a military target.”
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The statement added that Pakistan was attempting to portray what it called a massacre as a legitimate military operation.
India seeks global accountability
Calling it a “heinous act of aggression,” the ministry said the incident was not only an attack on civilians but also a clear violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty, posing a serious threat to regional peace and stability.
New Delhi further accused Islamabad of a “persistent pattern of reckless behaviour,” alleging that Pakistan has repeatedly tried to deflect from its internal issues by carrying out violent actions beyond its borders.
“It is even more reprehensible that such an attack took place during the holy month of Ramzan, a time associated with peace, reflection and mercy for Muslim communities worldwide,” the statement said, adding that no religion, law or moral code could justify targeting a hospital and its patients.
India also called on the international community to hold those responsible for the “criminal act” accountable and to ensure that such attacks on civilians in Afghanistan stop immediately.
Expressing solidarity, India conveyed its “deepest condolences” to the families of those killed and wished a speedy recovery to the injured, reiterating its continued support for Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Deadly strike amid border clashes
According to Afghanistan’s deputy government spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat, the strike hit the hospital around 9 pm local time, causing massive destruction to the 2,000-bed facility. He said the death toll had reached 400, with around 250 people injured.
Videos shared by local TV channels showed security personnel using flashlights to carry the wounded as firefighters battled flames in the wreckage. Fitrat said rescue teams were still working to control the fire and retrieve bodies from the debris.
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The strike came just hours after Afghan officials reported renewed exchanges of fire along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, in which four people were killed. The clashes mark the third week of the most intense fighting between the two sides in recent years.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information rejected the allegations, calling them “false and misleading” and accusing Kabul of trying to incite sentiment while masking what it described as support for cross-border terrorism. It maintained that its operations were “precise” and conducted to avoid any collateral damage.