Amnesty International on Wednesday called for an investigation into Pakistani air strikes on Kabul four months ago, saying the attacks that killed at least 269 civilians could amount to a “possible war crime”.
The London-based human rights organisation said its findings showed no evidence to support Pakistan’s claim that the strikes on March 16 targeted “military and terrorist infrastructure”.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Taliban-run government had previously accused Pakistan of striking a drug rehabilitation centre, where the attacks killed 269 civilians and injured 122 others, reports Reuters.
Amnesty said the air strikes violated the special protection granted to healthcare facilities under international humanitarian law (IHL), as well as the principles of distinction, precaution and proportionality intended to safeguard civilians during armed conflicts.
The organisation said its assessment was based on an analysis of more than 60 photographs and videos from the site, satellite imagery and interviews with current and former employees of the drug rehabilitation centre, among other sources.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A day after the strikes, Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar rejected the Taliban’s allegations that Islamabad had hit a drug rehabilitation hospital, describing the claims as “falsehood”.
“No hospital, no drug rehabilitation centre, and no civilian facility was targeted,” Tarar wrote in a post on March 17.
The March strikes took place amid rising tensions and intensifying clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban government. Pakistani and Afghan security forces have continued to engage in confrontations along their shared border in recent months.
Islamabad has defended its operations inside Afghanistan as a response to an increase in militant attacks in Pakistan, which it has blamed on Kabul. The Taliban government has denied supporting Pakistani militants.
