The airstrike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul killed at least 400 people and injured over 250, creating a tremendous amount of anger around the world. The airstrike, which took place on March 16th, was supposedly aimed at the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, which suffered extensive damage as well as disruption from the airstrike.
Rescue crews worked tirelessly all night, while Afghan officials reported that many of the fatalities were civilians. There are major concerns for the safety of civilians in war zones based on the destruction and loss of life that occurred during and after the airstrike. Rashid Khan is calling the airstrike a “war crime.”
Afghan cricket player Rashid Khan strongly condemned the attack, calling it “immoral and barbaric.”
He wrote on X that he was very sad about the deaths of innocent people and blamed those responsible for “sheer disregard for human lives.”
He went on to say that it is a war crime to target homes, hospitals, or schools on purpose or by accident. Rashid also asked the UN to look into the event right away, especially since it happened during the holy month of Ramadan.
Pakistan says it doesn’t target civilians.
Pakistan says the strike was aimed at militant hideouts and denies that it hit civilians.
Afghan cricketers talk about their pain
A number of Afghan players joined Rashid Khan in condemning the attack. Mohammad Nabi, a veteran all-rounder, said that the loss of young lives trying to recover was “hope extinguished” that night.
Others, like Gulbadin Naib and Fazalhaq Farooqi, spoke out against these attacks as cruel and wrong and showed their support for the victims and their families.
