Afganistan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani on Wednesday warned Pakistan that the country will “seek accountability” for this week’s air strike that killed hundreds at a Kabul drug rehabilitation centre.
“We will undoubtedly seek accountability for them,” the Taliban government minister said at the mass burial of some of the victims in the capital, calling those behind Monday night’s bombing “criminals”.
“We are not weak and helpless. You will see the consequences of your crimes,” AFP quoted him as saying.
About 400 people were reportedly killed, and around 200 others were wounded in the strike, which was named as the deadliest attack yet in the recent surge in violence between the two neighbours.
Afghanistan’s interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani told AFP earlier that not all victims are being buried in Kabul, as some bodies have been sent for burial in their home provinces.
According to the Norwegian Refugee Council, “hundreds” were killed and wounded, in the first independent confirmation of the heavy death toll.
The hospital was a drug rehabilitation centre where many were undergoing treatment. Visuals from after the strike showed the building reduced to piles of brick and metal, and the personal belongings of patients were left scattered.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has denied Taliban government claims that the centre was deliberately targeted and said it had carried out precision strikes on “military installations and terrorist support infrastructure”.
The strike has renewed calls for an end to the conflict, which has seen strikes on both sides of the shared border. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harbouring extremists behind attacks on its territory. Kabul denies doing so.
(With inputs from AFP)
