Afghanistan says Pakistan hospital strike kills 400

Afghanistan accused Pakistan of focusing on a hospital for drug customers within the Afghan capital late Monday, saying the airstrike had killed no less than 400 folks. It marked a dramatic escalation of a battle that started late final month and has seen repeated cross-border clashes in addition to airstrikes inside Afghanistan. International requires a ceasefire have gone unheeded. Related video above: Trump feedback on Iran War Pakistan dismissed the accusation that it had hit a hospital, saying its strikes, which have been additionally performed in jap Afghanistan, didn’t hit any civilian websites. Afghanistan’s deputy authorities spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat, in a publish on He stated the demise toll had “so far” reached 400 folks, whereas about 250 folks had been reported injured. Local tv stations posted footage on X displaying safety forces utilizing flashlights as they carried out casualties whereas firefighters struggled to extinguish flames among the many ruins of a constructing. Fitrat stated rescue groups have been working to manage the fireplace and recuperate the our bodies. The strike got here hours after Afghan officers stated the 2 sides exchanged hearth alongside their widespread border, killing 4 folks in Afghanistan, because the deadliest combating among the many neighbors in years entered a 3rd week. Afghan authorities spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the strike on X, accusing Pakistan of “targeting hospitals and civilian sites to perpetrate horrors.” In a publish earlier than the demise toll rose into the tons of, he stated these killed and injured have been sufferers on the hospital. “We strongly condemn this crime and consider such an act to be against all accepted principles and a crime against humanity,” he posted. Pakistan dismisses the allegations the strikes “precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure including technical equipment storage and ammunition storage of Afghan Taliban” and Afghanistan-based Pakistani militants in Kabul and Nangarhar, saying the amenities have been getting used towards harmless Pakistani civilians. It stated Pakistan’s focusing on was “precise and carefully undertaken to ensure no collateral damage is inflicted.” The ministry stated Mujahid’s declare was “false and misleading” and geared toward stirring sentiment and masking what it described as “illegitimate support for cross-border terrorism.” UN calls on Afghanistan to fight militants The strike got here hours after the UN Security Council referred to as on Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to instantly step up efforts to fight terrorism. Pakistan accuses Kabul of harboring militant teams, significantly the Pakistani Taliban, which it says perform assaults inside Pakistan. The Security Council decision, adopted unanimously, didn’t identify Pakistan however condemns “in the strongest terms all terrorist activity including terrorist attacks.” The decision additionally extends the UN political mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, for 3 months. Pakistan’s authorities accuses Afghanistan of offering secure haven to the Pakistani Taliban, which is designated as a terrorist group by the United States, in addition to to outlawed Baloch separatist teams and different militants who incessantly goal Pakistani safety forces and civilians throughout the nation. Kabul denies the cost. The newest battle The combating — essentially the most extreme between the 2 neighbors — started in late February after Afghanistan launched cross-border assaults in response to Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan that Kabul stated killed civilians. The clashes disrupted a ceasefire brokered by Qatar in October after earlier combating killed dozens of troopers, civilians and suspected militants. Pakistan has declared it’s in “open war” with Afghanistan. The battle has alarmed the worldwide neighborhood, significantly as the realm is one the place different militant organizations, together with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, nonetheless have a presence and have been making an attempt to resurface. On Sunday, Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated the army has killed 684 Afghan Taliban forces, a declare rejected by Afghanistan, which says casualties are far decrease. Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry and different officers have stated Afghanistan has killed greater than 100 Pakistani troopers. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari stated Afghanistan’s Taliban administration crossed a “red line” by deploying drones that injured a number of civilians in Pakistan final week. Responding to these assaults, Pakistan’s air pressure over the weekend struck tools storage websites and “technical support infrastructure” in Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar Province, saying it was getting used for assaults inside Pakistan. Kabul stated Pakistan hit two areas, together with an empty safety website and a drug rehabilitation heart that sustained minor injury. In Kabul, Afghanistan’s administrative Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi stated defending sovereignty is the responsibility of all residents. Speaking throughout a gathering with political analysts and media figures, Hanafi expressed remorse over civilian casualties in latest Pakistani assaults, saying the struggle was imposed on Afghanistan.____Ahmed reported from Islamabad and Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece. Associated Press writers Edith M. Lederer on the United Nations and Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan, contributed.