A mass funeral was held in Kabul for victims of a hospital strike that Afghan officials have blamed on Pakistan. The ceremony took place at the Badam Bagh Hilltop cemetery, where coffins were lined up and bulldozers dug graves to accommodate the large number of casualties.
According to Afghan authorities, the strike hit the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, a drug rehabilitation center, killing more than 400 people and injuring over 260. The figures, however, have not been independently verified. Officials said the attack represented one of the deadliest incidents in recent weeks.
Pakistan has denied deliberately targeting civilians, insisting that its strikes were aimed at militant facilities in Kabul and eastern Afghanistan. Afghan leaders, however, accused Pakistan of violating sovereignty and committing a grave act against innocent people.
The funeral was attended by families of the victims, community members, and volunteers from the Afghan Red Crescent, who assisted in the burial rites. The scale of the tragedy was evident in the mass graves and the grief of those present.
The incident has further escalated tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, now in the third week of conflict. Afghan officials said the hospital strike will be remembered as a dark chapter, while Pakistan dismissed the casualty claims as propaganda. Regional observers warn that the situation could destabilize South Asia if the conflict continues to intensify.