Islamabad, March 20: Amnesty International, the global human rights organization, has expressed serious concerns regarding a recent airstrike by Pakistan on a drug rehabilitation center in Kabul, Afghanistan. Reports indicate that over 400 civilians lost their lives, with more than 200 others injured in the attack.
Pakistani officials claimed that the airstrike, conducted on March 16, targeted an ammunition depot at the rehabilitation center. In response, Isabel Lasi, the Deputy Regional Director for South Asia at Amnesty International, stated that the Pakistani military failed to take adequate precautions to protect civilians.
According to Amnesty International, the airstrikes were part of “Operation Gajab Lil Haq,” which targeted locations in Kabul and Nangarhar. The Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul was specifically hit. This facility was established in 2016 on the site of the former Camp Phoenix, which once served as a military base for the U.S. and NATO, located on the outskirts of the Afghan capital.
The rehabilitation center, along with its associated facilities, had the capacity to accommodate around 2,000 individuals. Human rights organizations have cited Afghan officials stating that the airstrike resulted in over 400 civilian deaths and more than 200 injuries.
Isabel Lasi noted that while independent verification of the total death toll is still pending, it is clear that hundreds of civilians perished in the attack.
She remarked, “It is well-documented that a significant portion of the former NATO Camp Phoenix has been operating as a drug rehabilitation center since 2016. The Pakistani military should have exercised utmost caution to protect civilians and civilian sites before launching this attack. Any proper investigation and information-gathering process would have concluded that a large number of civilians were present.”
Lasi further stated that even if there were munitions stored at some location within the camp, the Pakistani military should have assessed the potential civilian harm before proceeding with the strike.
She emphasized that the scale of death and destruction raises serious questions about whether the Pakistani military conducted a proper assessment prior to the attack and whether it took necessary steps to minimize civilian casualties.
Lasi urged Pakistani officials to clarify the basis for their actions and what measures were taken to verify this information. She also called for an independent, impartial, and timely investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attack and the resulting civilian casualties, with public disclosure of the findings to ensure accountability.
Amnesty International has appealed to all parties involved in the conflict to strictly adhere to international humanitarian law and take immediate steps to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, with a particular emphasis on safeguarding hospitals and other health facilities.
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