Amnesty: Pakistan air strike on Kabul drug rehab center may be war crime

Four months after demanding answers from Pakistani authorities over the March 16 attack on a Kabul drug rehabilitation centre that killed at least 269 civilians, Amnesty International has released a new investigation urging the attack to be investigated as a possible war crime.

The organisation found no evidence to support the Pakistan military’s claims that the Omid Rehabilitation and Treatment Centre was being used to store weapons, ammunition, or for any other military purpose at the time of the airstrike. The attack violated the special protections afforded to healthcare facilities under international humanitarian law, as well as the principles of distinction, precaution, and proportionality designed to protect civilians.

“The attack on the Omid Centre constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law – possibly amounting to a war crime. Given the widely available information that the site had been used as a medical facility for more than a decade, this reflects a major failure in military planning by Pakistan that led to a significant loss of civilian life,” said Isabelle Lassee, Amnesty International’s acting regional director for South Asia.

“This was a lethal failure by Pakistan to comply with its obligation to do everything feasible to verify whether the target was a military objective. Pakistan must urgently conduct a transparent, thorough, independent, and impartial investigation into the attack – especially the decision-making process that led to the targeting of the facility – and make the results public.

“Where sufficient evidence exists, competent authorities should prosecute any person suspected of criminal responsibility, including under the doctrine of command responsibility.”

Broader Context of Cross-Border Hostilities

The attack was one of a series of airstrikes conducted by the Pakistan military inside Afghanistan since the escalation of cross-border hostilities with the Taliban in October 2025. Between January and March 2026 alone, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented more than 750 civilian casualties, with 372 killed and 392 others injured in Afghanistan. The June 28 airstrikes in Paktya, Paktika, and Kunar provinces killed at least 28 civilians, according to UNAMA.

While there is no consolidated figure for civilian casualties in Pakistan, media reports indicate that at least seven civilians have been killed through mortar shelling originating from Afghan territory.

“All parties to the conflict must respect international humanitarian law and take all feasible precautions to protect civilians and civilian objects, with particular care afforded to medical facilities and other specially protected sites. Failure to investigate serious violations, such as the attack on the Omid Centre, shows an alarming disregard for international law and risks entrenching impunity, leading to further unlawful operations and loss of civilian life,” said Lassee.

Investigation Methodology

Amnesty International analysed and verified more than 60 photos and videos, most of which were captured in the immediate aftermath of the attack on the Omid Centre. This included videos released by Pakistan’s military to support its claim that the site was being used as a storage facility for weapons and ammunition. The organisation also reviewed more than 30 satellite images of the area, as well as verified videos documenting operations at the Omid Centre prior to the attack.

Amnesty International conducted 11 interviews, including with employees and former employees of the Omid Centre and the adjacent Ibn-e-Sina Hospital. Interviewees also included individuals who visited the centre immediately after the attack and victims’ family members. Some of the interviewees witnessed the strikes, and some were involved in the evacuation effort.

Lack of Response from Pakistan

On July 9, Amnesty International contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan to request details about what the government has done to investigate any failure in targeting, and whether those involved in the process were held to account. The organisation also requested any information to substantiate Pakistan’s claim that the target was a “weapon and ammunition store.” No response had been received at the time of publication.

Prohibition of Attacks on Medical Facilities

The principle of distinction in international humanitarian law requires parties to distinguish between civilians and combatants, and between civilian objects and military objectives. Deliberate attacks against healthcare facilities and their personnel are specifically prohibited, unless a facility is being used outside its humanitarian function. When there is doubt as to whether medical facilities are being used to commit acts “harmful to the enemy” – the only case in which they could lose their protected status – they should be presumed not to be so used.

In a post on X the day after the strike, Attaullah Tarar, Pakistan’s federal minister, [further context not provided in original text].