Amnesty International Labels Pakistani Airstrike in Kabul Possible War Crime

Amnesty International is calling for an independent investigation into a Pakistani airstrike on the Omid Rehabilitation and Treatment Centre in Kabul, Afghanistan, characterizing the attack as a possible war crime. The strike, which occurred in mid-March 2026, took place during a period of escalating cross-border hostilities between Pakistan and the Taliban that began in October 2025, with Pakistan declaring it was in open war with Afghanistan.

Amnesty International asserts that the attack violated international humanitarian law regarding the protection of healthcare facilities and reflected a major failure in military planning. The organization's investigation, utilizing drone footage, satellite imagery, and interviews, found no evidence to support claims that the 2,000-bed facility was used to store weapons or ammunition. Conversely, Pakistan's Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, defended the operation as precision strikes against technical support infrastructure and an ammunition depot.

Casualty figures remain disputed. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) verified at least 269 civilian deaths and 122 injuries. Taliban authorities claim the death toll exceeded 400. Despite the scale of the loss, no formal international investigation has been launched, prompting victims' families to urge the UN Security Council to hold the responsible parties accountable.