India Sends 2.5 Tons of Medical Aid to Kabul After Deadly Airstrike

"To support the medical treatment and swift recovery of those injured in the heinous attack on 16 March, India delivers a 2.5-ton consignment of emergency medicines, medical disposables, kits and equipment to Kabul. India stands in solidarity with the Afghan people and will continue to extend all possible humanitarian support in this difficult hour," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal wrote on X.

The airstrike, carried out by Pakistani military forces on the night of March 16, struck a rehabilitation centre in Kabul, killing more than 400 people and injuring over 250, according to Afghan officials and local media reports. Many of the victims were patients and staff present at the centre at the time of the strike, which caused massive destruction.

Emergency teams rushed to the site, and hospitals across Kabul have been overwhelmed with casualties. The attack has become one of the deadliest single strikes on civilians in Afghanistan in recent years.

The attack has drawn widespread international condemnation. The United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, expressed deep concern over the civilian deaths and urged both Kabul and Islamabad to respect international humanitarian law. The International Human Rights Foundation called for an independent international investigation to hold those responsible accountable.

Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan are already tense due to repeated cross-border operations. Some earlier incidents involved women and children in border provinces, which led to protests and condemnation inside Afghanistan.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued a stern warning to Pakistan, indicating that "the time for diplomacy with Pakistan is over and that the attack must be avenged," raising concerns over potential escalation in the region.

Meanwhile, Pakistan had decided on a "temporary pause" in the ongoing Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against the Afghan Taliban in view of Eid al-Fitr and at the "request of brotherly Islamic countries," Information Minister Ataullah Tarar announced on Wednesday.

Tarar said the pause would be applicable from "midnight March 18/19 to midnight March 23/24," Dawn reported.

Shortly after the announcement, the Afghan Taliban also declared a temporary suspension of its military operation against Pakistan, Dawn reported.

Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the decision was made in response to requests from brotherly Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Qatar, Dawn reported.

- ANI