Pakistan’s ongoing Operation Ghazab Lil Haqq, targeting Afghan Taliban and allied militant infrastructure, has faced misleading claims from Taliban authorities about civilian casualties in Kabul and Nangarhar. Afghan media reporting, however, has contradicted these assertions.
Taliban officials had alleged that Pakistani airstrikes hit a hospital or rehabilitation center in Kabul, resulting in as many as 400 to 500 deaths. They repeated similar claims in statements released after the strikes.
Local coverage by Afghanistan’s Tolo News, however, paints a different picture. A reporter on-site at Kabul’s Wazir Muhammad Akbar Khan Hospital described the situation as far less severe than Taliban claims. The reporter noted that only 15 to 20 individuals remained under treatment, and the hospital itself had not been directly targeted by any strikes.
Witnesses interviewed by Tolo News confirmed that many of the people at the hospital were relatives searching for family members, and the majority of those present were either patients or civilians, with no mass casualties reported. Observers also emphasized that no large-scale fatalities had occurred, contrary to Taliban assertions.
The report confirms that the hospital was not struck, and the number of injured individuals is significantly lower than Taliban figures suggest. This aligns with Pakistan’s official position that the strikes were precise, targeted operations aimed at militant infrastructure, including technical support facilities, ammunition depots, and workshops involved in assembling drones.
Taliban Claims Contradicted by Eyewitnesses
Afghan reporters and eyewitnesses emphasize that the initial figures provided by Taliban authorities were exaggerated and appear designed to mislead public perception. Tolo News coverage highlights that Pakistan’s strikes were focused on high-value militant targets, and that no civilian casualties occurred at the hospital in question.
Security analysts note that such conflicting narratives are common in cross-border military operations, where militant groups may amplify or fabricate civilian casualty reports for propaganda purposes.
The Afghan media confirmation reinforces Pakistan’s statement that the airstrikes were precise, carefully planned, and aimed exclusively at disrupting militant operations, with efforts made to minimize collateral damage.
