Pakistan struck a rehab centre and killed 269 Afghans. Their families want to know why

The Tragedy Unfolds

Pakistan struck a rehab centre and killed – Masooda’s journey to the cemetery on a rainy morning in northwest Kabul begins with uncertainty. She walks to the site where her younger brother Mirwais is buried, yet the exact location of his grave remains a mystery. Two months ago, Mirwais was killed in a Pakistani airstrike that targeted a drug rehabilitation center, leaving his family with only fragments of his body. Today, she stands at the edge of a mass grave, its surface adorned with small white stones and marked by rough granite slabs. This is the resting place of at least 269 victims, though the precise number is unclear. Many of the dead were unrecognizable, their bodies reduced to parts or burned beyond identification.

“My brother’s body was in pieces. There was barely anything left of him to give us,” says Masooda, 27, her voice breaking as she recalls the moment. “They just found his torso. I identified it through a birthmark he had.”

The attack on the Omid Drug Rehabilitation Hospital, which occurred on March 16, 2024, at approximately 20:50 local time, is the deadliest incident in Afghanistan’s recent history. While the Taliban and NATO forces have been engaged in conflict for two decades, this strike surpasses previous casualties. The United Nations confirmed 269 deaths, but estimates suggest the toll could be even higher. The event has sparked calls for a formal investigation into whether it qualifies as a war crime.

A Nation in Shock

Despite Afghanistan’s long-standing exposure to violence, the scale of this tragedy has left the nation reeling. The UN, granted access to the site, and BBC Afghan service teams present at the scene corroborate the account of civilian casualties. Human Rights Watch labeled the attack as “unlawful” and “a possible war crime,” emphasizing the impact on individuals seeking recovery. However, Pakistan disputes the claim, asserting that the facility was not a civilian target. In a statement to the BBC, Islamabad maintained that “no hospital, no drug rehabilitation centre, and no civilian facility was targeted,” insisting the strike aimed to destroy military and terrorist infrastructure.

For Masooda, the accusation feels like a betrayal. “Pakistan is lying,” she says, standing before the mass grave. “I have seen it and it wasn’t a military camp. There were men admitted there who had come to get healed and return to their families.” Her words reflect the broader sentiment of over 30 families interviewed by the BBC, each grieving a loved one who had entered the Omid center as part of their journey to sobriety. These families reject Pakistan’s narrative, arguing the facility was clearly a civilian space.

The Attack’s Aftermath

The strike, which targeted the Omid center located on the Kabul-Jalalabad highway, unleashed devastation. According to a doctor on duty at the time, three bombs hit the facility, one striking a hangar-like structure where newly admitted patients were housed. The other two bombs targeted containers and wooden blocks used to store patients, along with food supplies and administrative offices. The blast obliterated the center, leaving behind a field of rubble and sorrow.

The Omid center, while now a symbol of tragedy, was once a beacon of hope. Opened in 2016, it operated in a former military training compound known as Camp Phoenix, which had been used by US and NATO forces. The facility was well-known, with extensive coverage by domestic and international media. Even as the Taliban seized control of the country in 2021, the center remained a critical resource for those battling addiction. The BBC had visited the site in 2023, documenting the lives of recovering addicts and the support systems in place.

A Symbol of Hope

Mirwais, one of the Omid center’s newest patients, was emblematic of the struggles faced by Afghanistan’s three million people battling drug addiction. Raised by Masooda after the deaths of their parents, Mirwais had pursued a career in pharmacy before succumbing to ‘Tablet-K,’ a street name for synthetic drugs that may contain methamphetamine, opioids, or MDMA. “He was a simple boy who got into a bad habit,” Masooda explains. “He had only been at Omid for 10 days when this happened.” His short time in the center underscores the urgency of the program, which aimed to help individuals like him reclaim their lives.

The Families’ Grief

The Omid center’s destruction has left families in anguish, with many questioning the intent behind the strike. Masooda’s story is not unique; others share her grief. The BBC has spoken to survivors and relatives who describe the facility as a place of healing, not combat. “There were men admitted there who had come to get healed and return to their families,” Masooda insists, echoing the accounts of those who lost loved ones in the attack. The center’s proximity to UN offices, as noted by Fiona Frazer, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ representative in Afghanistan, further reinforces its civilian role. “The site was well known to us,” Frazer says. “It’s literally about a kilometre away from the main UN offices.”

Pakistan’s Defense

Pakistan’s defense of the strike centers on its claim that the target was a military installation. The government maintains that the Omid center was not a civilian facility, despite evidence to the contrary. “The targets were military and terrorist infrastructure,” the statement from Islamabad adds, positioning the attack as a necessary measure in the fight against extremism. Yet, the families of the victims remain unconvinced, arguing that the center was a lifeline for individuals seeking to escape addiction and rebuild their lives.

The Ongoing Conflict

Fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan has persisted for months, with hundreds of civilian lives lost in the crossfire. The Omid strike is among the most devastating incidents of this conflict, accounting for the majority of casualties this year. While the Taliban has denied harboring militants who attack Pakistan, the controversy over the strike has intensified the tension. For Masooda and others, the attack represents not just a loss of life but a rupture in trust between the two nations. “They are targeting people who want to leave the war behind,” she says, her voice trembling. “This is what they do to civilians.”

A Nation in Grief

As the families of the Omid victims gather at the mass grave, their sorrow is palpable. The attack has not only claimed lives but also shattered a sense of security in a country already strained by years of conflict. The UN’s Fiona Frazer highlights the significance of the event, noting that the strike’s impact extends beyond the immediate loss. “The scale of the death toll is so staggering,” she says, “it has shocked Afghanistan, even after decades of war.”

The Omid center’s fate raises critical questions about the conduct of military operations in civilian areas. As the investigation continues, the families await answers that could determine whether this tragedy is a calculated act of aggression or a tragic mistake. Their stories, etched into the stones and slabs of the mass grave, serve as a poignant reminder of the human cost of the ongoing struggle between Pakistan and Afghanistan. For now, they stand united in their demand for clarity, seeking to understand why a place of healing became a site of mass destruction.