Amnesty International announced on Wednesday that Pakistan’s airstrike on the “Omid” Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation in Kabul, which killed at least 269 civilians on 26 Hoot 1404, should be investigated as a possible war crime. The organisation stressed that its findings highlight the urgent need for an independent and impartial investigation into the attack.
Amnesty International said it had found no evidence to support the Pakistani military’s claim that the medical facility was being used to store weapons, ammunition, or for other military purposes. According to the organisation, its investigation did not corroborate the allegations made by Pakistani officials.
The organisation further emphasised that targeting a medical facility violates the special protection afforded to healthcare facilities under international humanitarian law and is inconsistent with the principles of distinction, precaution, and proportionality in military operations. Amnesty International described the incident as a matter of serious concern under international humanitarian law.
Isabel Lasse, an Amnesty International official, described the attack in a statement as a serious violation of international humanitarian law and called on Pakistan to conduct a transparent, independent, and impartial investigation into the incident and publicly release its findings.
She said: “The attack on the Omid Centre constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law and may amount to a war crime. Given that the site had been recognised as a medical facility for more than a decade, this attack demonstrates a serious failure in Pakistan’s military planning a failure that resulted in the deaths of a large number of civilians.”
One day after the attack, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated that the country’s military had targeted military infrastructure and ammunition depots in Kabul, and that secondary explosions indicated the presence of ammunition at the site.
Amnesty International said its report was based on an examination of more than 60 photographs and videos, over 30 satellite images, and interviews with staff members of the Omid Centre, employees of Ibn Sina Hospital, and several survivors of the attack. The organisation added that even images released by the Pakistani military showed no evidence of secondary explosions, which are typically associated with the presence of ammunition storage facilities.
An analysis of satellite imagery and witness accounts indicated that at least three sections of the compound were severely damaged or completely destroyed. One of the targeted buildings housed newly admitted patients, as well as the kitchen and dining hall. According to Amnesty International, many of the victims were recovered from this area.
The organisation stated that the second building was used to house Taliban security personnel and store food supplies, while the third building was used for storing coal, wood, clothing, and a tailoring workshop. One witness told Amnesty International that after the attack, they saw only the remains of wood, coal, clothing, and shoes, and that there were no signs of military equipment at the site.
Hours after the attack, the Taliban announced that more than 400 civilians had been killed and over 250 injured. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) later independently verified that at least 269 people were killed and 122 were wounded. Amnesty International also stated that the actual number of casualties may be higher, as the scale of the destruction made it difficult to identify the remains of some victims.
A relative of one of the victims told Amnesty International that, despite searching hospitals and medical centres, the family had still been unable to locate the body of their loved one. A healthcare worker who assisted in transferring the wounded also said: “Everywhere I stepped, there was a body lying on the ground.”
Amnesty International further reported that the attack was carried out without prior warning and occurred during Ramadan prayers, at a time when more than 1,000 patients were present at the centre. The organisation added that it had requested information from Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 9 July regarding measures taken to investigate the incident and ensure accountability, but had received no response by the time of publication.
Isabel Lasse warned that failure to investigate serious violations of international law, including the attack on the Omid Centre, increases the risk of impunity becoming entrenched and could pave the way for further unlawful operations and additional civilian casualties.
Amnesty International described the attack as part of a series of Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan following escalating border tensions with the Taliban in October 2025. Citing UNAMA figures, the organisation stated that more than 750 civilians were killed or injured in Afghanistan between January and March 2026 alone.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
