At least 400 people were reportedly killed and around 250 injured after what Afghan authorities described as a Pakistani airstrike hit a major drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul late Monday night. Islamabad, however, denied targeting civilians, stating the operation was aimed at militant infrastructure.
Condemning the attack, Afghanistan cricketer Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar made an emotional appeal to India, seeking urgent support.
Authorities in Kabul said the strike hit a large rehabilitation facility around 9 pm local time, destroying the 2000-bed complex. Massive fires broke out, with rescue workers scrambling through debris in search of survivors. The incident underscores rapidly deteriorating relations between Pakistan and the Taliban administration, with both sides trading accusations over cross-border security threats.
Ghazanfar, who was signed by Mumbai Indians and is set to feature in IPL 2026, said the centre housed thousands of vulnerable patients.
“The people there don’t have money for treatment. And now, they’ve targeted that place as well; they’ve martyred those people. This is not acceptable to the people of Afghanistan,” he told News18.
While Afghan officials blamed Pakistan for the strike, Islamabad maintained that it was a “precision operation” targeting militant bases linked to attacks on its soil.
“I don’t know what they’re trying to prove. They come and target ordinary people, and we simply cannot accept this. Afghanistan cannot accept this,” Ghazanfar added. “Everyone knows Afghanistan’s history. If that history repeats itself, it will be very bad for Pakistan.”
He also called for international intervention, including from India.
“India is our close friend. We want to engage with them, to talk about these issues, so that things like this don’t happen. This is our request to other countries too. This is not good for the people. Right now, the world is going through many challenges, and this is not good for anyone,” he said.
Several Afghan cricketers echoed similar sentiments. Rashid Khan said he was “deeply saddened” by reports of civilian casualties, adding that targeting civilian infrastructure “amounts to a war crime.”
Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi also reacted, posting on X that the attack had “extinguished hope” at a medical facility, describing the loss as devastating.
