KABUL, March 26: A second mass funeral was held in Kabul on Thursday for victims of a Pakistani airstrike that struck the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital on March 16.
Bulldozers dug a large pit for 60 coffins, and Afghan officials now report 411 dead and 263 wounded, though the UN is still verifying the toll. Pakistan denied targeting civilians, claiming it hit an ammunition depot.
The strike comes amid escalating cross-border fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of sheltering militants, particularly the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), which has resumed attacks after a brief Eid ceasefire.
The Afghan Taliban, in power since 2021, denies these claims.
The hospital, near Kabul’s airport and a former NATO base, treated drug addiction in a country with vast poppy fields fueling heroin production.
The attack caused a massive fire, leaving many victims unidentifiable, highlighting civilians’ vulnerability amid regional conflict. (PTI)
