UN rights chief calls for probe after deadly Kabul hospital strike amid escalating Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict

GENEVA — The United Nations’ top human rights official on Tuesday called for an immediate end to hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan and urged an independent investigation after a reported Pakistani airstrike on a Kabul hospital killed hundreds of people.

Volker Türk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, emphasized the need to protect civilians and ensure accountability under international law as violence between the two countries intensifies.

“Last night’s tragic blast at a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul, that reportedly left scores of patients dead, must be investigated promptly, independently and transparently, and those responsible held to account in line with international standards. Those results must be made public. Victims and victims’ families are entitled to reparations,” a spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said Tuesday.

Afghan officials said more than 400 people were killed and at least 250 injured after the strike targeted the 2,000-bed Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul’s Pul-e-Charkhi area late Monday. Witnesses described widespread devastation, with families searching through the rubble for missing relatives.

The U.N. warned that attacks on civilians and medical facilities could constitute violations of international humanitarian law, which requires all parties to distinguish between military and civilian targets and to take precautions to minimize harm.

“Under international humanitarian law, civilians and civilian objects are strictly protected. The laws of war clearly spell out that any attack must comply with the fundamental principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions. International humanitarian law provides for specific and increased protections for medical facilities,” the U.N. human rights office said.

The reported strike comes amid a broader escalation in violence between Afghanistan and Pakistan over the past month, during which hundreds of civilians, including women and children, have been killed or injured. Tens of thousands of people have also been displaced by the fighting.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior spokesperson Abdul Matin Qane condemned the attack and warned of retaliation, calling the strike a major escalation and a violation of the country’s sovereignty.

“Such attacks cannot go unanswered,” Qane said, adding that emergency crews continued to search for victims trapped beneath the debris. (Source: IANS)