Afghan Families Demand International Inquiry Into Pakistani Air Strike on Kabul Rehabilitation Center

Families and UN officials call for an investigation into Pakistan's air strike on a Kabul drug rehab center that left hundreds dead and missing.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 5, 2026, 7:43 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The Straits Times

A Mother’s Plea Amidst the Rubble of "Camp Omid"

Samira Muhammadi, a 43-year-old Afghan mother, is among the many voices seeking accountability after a devastating bombing on March 16. Her 20-year-old son, Aref Khan, was among the 411 people reported killed when Pakistani air strikes struck the "Camp Omid" drug treatment center in eastern Kabul. Mr. Khan, who had recently returned from working in Iran, was being treated for methamphetamine addiction at the facility. Just hours before the strike, Ms. Muhammadi had visited her son to bring him supplies, a memory now haunted by the subsequent destruction and the difficult task of identifying victims from a site where bodies were left burned beyond recognition.

Conflicting Claims Over the Target’s Nature

The incident has significantly escalated tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Islamabad has maintained that the operation targeted a military installation housing militants responsible for cross-border attacks—a claim the Taliban government continues to deny. However, witnesses, international NGOs, and United Nations sources tell a different story. A UN source verified at least 250 deaths, with many more missing, and journalists on the scene reported seeing the remains of patients and hospital equipment rather than military infrastructure. The Taliban government has since provided diplomats and media access to the site to examine what they describe as clear evidence of a war crime.

International Calls for Independent Accountability

The bombing has drawn sharp condemnation from seventeen international humanitarian organizations, including War Child UK, who emphasized that health facilities are protected under international law. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have all joined the call for an independent probe. Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on Afghanistan, noted that the initial responsibility for investigating human rights violations falls on the perpetrator—in this case, Pakistan—though there is little indication that Islamabad intends to conduct a transparent internal inquiry.