UN seeks independent probe into deadly Kabul clinic strike

GENEVA: The United Nations called on Tuesday (Mar 17) for a swift and independent investigation after the Afghan government said a Pakistani strike on a Kabul drug rehabilitation clinic killed hundreds of people.

"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," UN rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters in Geneva.

He called for those responsible to be "held to account in line with international standards", and insisted that the results of any investigation "be made public".

"Victims and victims' families are entitled to reparations," he said.

The Afghan government said on Tuesday that about 400 people were killed in the Pakistani air strike on a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul that was the deadliest attack in the recent violence between the two neighbours.

Hundreds were said to have been wounded at the facility, which was hit on Monday night, flattening buildings used to treat people from across the country for addictions to marijuana, amphetamines and other narcotics.

There was no immediate independent verification of the toll, but AFP reporters saw at least 30 bodies taken from the site on Monday night and more than 65 removed on Tuesday.

CALLS FOR CEASEFIRE

The Taliban government has accused Pakistan of deliberately targeting civilians, something it flatly denies.

Pakistan's information minister Attaullah Tarar said claims his government deliberately targeted the Kabul clinic were "entirely baseless".

The two sides have been in conflict for months, with Islamabad accusing its neighbour of harbouring Islamist extremists who have mounted deadly cross-border attacks on its territory.

Since the hostilities escalated at the end of last month, Kheetan said "289 Afghan civilians, including 104 children and 59 women, have been killed or injured", while tens of thousands have been displaced.

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on Tuesday that it had confirmed at least 76 civilian deaths in Afghanistan between Feb 26 and Monday, before the clinic strike.

It called for an "immediate ceasefire", as did UN rights chief Volker Turk.

Kheetan stressed that "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," he said, highlighting that "international humanitarian law provides for specific and increased protections for medical facilities".

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, meanwhile, said on X that the upsurge in hostilities since late February had "resulted in at least six health facilities being impacted in Afghanistan", in addition to the rehab clinic.

The UN health agency was "working to verify these incidents", he said.

"I urge all parties to de-escalate and prioritise peace and health," Tedros said, insisting: "Peace is the best medicine."