Islamabad exposes Kabul’s ‘Hospital strike’ claims as premeditated misinformation

WEB DESK: Pakistan has categorically dismantled allegations from the Afghan Taliban that its recent airstrikes targeted a drug rehabilitation facility in Kabul.

Dismissing the claims as “entirely baseless,” the Pakistani government on Tuesday provided evidence suggesting the narrative was a deliberate attempt to obscure the destruction of high-value terrorist infrastructure, according to the Express Tribune.

Under Operation Ghazab Lil Haq, the strikes conducted on the night of 16 March were described by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar as “precise, deliberate, and professional.”

Targeted locations in Kabul and Nangarhar included ammunition depots and technical installations directly linked to recent terror attacks inside Pakistan.

Visual evidence confirms military targets

To set the record straight, the Ministry of Information released strike footage that reveals significant secondary explosions at the impact sites. According to security officials, these massive detonations “leave no room for doubt,” as they confirm the presence of concealed heavy weaponry and explosives that would not be found in a civilian medical facility.

Pakistan’s fact-check has further eroded the Taliban’s credibility by exposing multiple inconsistencies in their claims. An image circulated by Kabul as supposed evidence of the strike was found to be a recycled photo from May 2023, previously shared by the Taliban’s own interior ministry.

Additionally, official Afghan social media accounts reportedly deleted their initial allegations shortly after posting, raising questions about the reliability of their narrative. Geographical details also contradict the claim, as the actual target Camp Phoenix, now known as a hub for militant logistics is located several kilometres away from the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital.

End of the ‘Fatal Mistake’ of hospitality

The exchange has triggered a sharp shift in Islamabad’s diplomatic stance. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif lashed out at the Taliban leadership, accusing them of gross ingratitude after Pakistan hosted three generations of Afghan refugees at an immense national cost.

In a candid statement, Mr Asif remarked that while Pakistan had once stood up to superpowers to protect its neighbour, the current regime has repaid that debt by providing safe havens to militants who “shed the blood of innocent children.” He went as far as to describe the decades of hospitality shown to the Taliban as the “most fatal mistake” in the country’s history.

As Operation Ghazab Lil Haq continues, Pakistani forces remain resolute in dismantling border posts and militant hubs. Officials emphasised that the operations will persist until the threat of cross-border terrorism is permanently neutralised, regardless of “false and misleading propaganda” from Kabul.