Afghanistan’s Taliban government pledges retaliation after a Pakistani air strike on a Kabul drug rehabilitation centre kills hundreds, escalating cross-border tensions.
KABUL: Afghanistan’s interior minister has vowed revenge for a deadly Pakistani air strike on a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul this week.
Sirajuddin Haqqani promised retribution during the mass burial of some victims in the capital on Wednesday, labelling those behind Monday night’s bombing as “criminals”.
“We are not weak and helpless, and you will see the consequences of your crimes,” the Taliban government minister added.
Taliban authorities state that approximately 400 people were killed and more than 200 wounded in the strike, marking the deadliest attack in a recent surge of cross-border violence.
Not all victims are being buried in Kabul, as some bodies have been sent to their home provinces for burial, according to interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani.
The Norwegian Refugee Council provided the first independent confirmation of the heavy toll on Wednesday, stating that “hundreds” were killed and wounded.
Pakistan has denied deliberately targeting the centre, claiming it conducted precision strikes on “military installations and terrorist support infrastructure”.
The incident has renewed calls to end the conflict, which has featured strikes on both sides of the shared border.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harbouring extremists responsible for attacks on its soil, a charge Kabul denies.
