SECURITY — March 26, 2026
Second Collective Burial Held for Victims of Airstrike on Kabul's Omid Center
Afghan officials held a second collective funeral and mass burial for victims of a Pakistani airstrike on the Omid drug rehabilitation center in Kabul, condemning the attack and calling for an international investigation. Officials reported 411 killed and 263 injured, though the UN confirmed 143 deaths, with some victims' bodies still missing.
The Ehtebar Desk — originates with ToloNews — corroborated by Bakhtar News and Afghanistan International — 2 min read
The second collective funeral ceremony for victims of an airstrike on the Omid drug rehabilitation center was held at Eidgah Mosque in Kabul.
Islamic Emirate officials, religious scholars, victims' families and citizens attended the event.
Speakers condemned the airstrike, attributed to Pakistan's military, describing it as brutality against civilians.
Officials reported that 411 people were killed and 263 were wounded in the attack. The United Nations confirmed 143 deaths.
Sharafat Zaman Amarkhil, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health, said more than 100 bodies had been handed over to families, but some remained unidentifiable or had not been found despite searches by relatives.
The bodies of 50 victims were buried in a mass grave in Sarai Shomali following the ceremony at Eidgah Mosque. This followed an earlier collective burial in the Badambagh area.
Abdul Rahman Munir, Deputy for Counter-Narcotics at the Ministry of Interior, called on the United Nations, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, European Union and other human rights institutions to conduct a comprehensive investigation and hold those responsible accountable.
Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar described the operation as precise and targeted at terrorist infrastructure located near the center.
The airstrike occurred on the night of 25 Hoot, with Pakistani jets hitting targets in Kabul and Nangarhar provinces. The Omid center caught fire during the attack.
Read the original reporting at ToloNews →
Reliability assessment
All 3 independent Afghan media outlets corroborate the core event of a Pakistani airstrike on the Omid rehabilitation center in Kabul causing mass casualties. Taliban officials (including named spokespeople and deputy ministers) are directly quoted across sources making on-record statements. Differing casualty figures and additional details (such as the UN number) are normal in multi-source reporting on chaotic incidents and do not undermine confirmation of the underlying event.
The source language mixes facts with framing or advocacy wording. Afghanistan International: "Pakistan is accused of not having considered the principle of proportionality and balance in its attack" and "international humanitarian laws oblige the parties to the war to consider the principle of proportionality and balance" - these phrases are charged because they introduce an unattributed accusation of legal violation and frame the attack as disproportionate using advocacy language.; Bakhtar News: "oppressed martyrs ... martyred with brutality", "such cruelty on the people of Afghanistan that history will never forget it", "unforgivable and anti-human crime". These phrases emotionally frame the victims using religious martyr terminology and hyperbolic moral condemnation of the attack to advocate for national unity and international action against the alleged perpetrator.; ToloNews: "Pakistani military regime", "these crimes", "silence in the face of oppression is complicity with the oppressor" - these phrases use negative framing of Pakistan as a 'regime' committing 'crimes' and 'oppression', while equating silence with complicity to add advocacy and emotional weight to the reporting.
Across the newsrooms
Where reports agree
- Pakistan conducted an airstrike on the Omid drug rehabilitation/addicts treatment center in Kabul resulting in a large number of deaths and injuries
- Multiple collective funeral and burial ceremonies were held for the victims, including a second one at Eidgah Mosque in Kabul
- Victims were buried in a mass grave in Sarai Shomali area of Kabul
- Taliban officials, religious scholars and victims' families condemned the attack by Pakistan's military, described it as brutality against civilians, and called for international investigations by the UN, OIC and others
- The attack took place on the night of 25 Hoot with the center catching fire
Where reports differ
- Casualty numbers: two sources report exactly 411 killed and 263 injured while one source cites a UN confirmation of only 143 killed
- Status of bodies: two sources report some bodies disappeared, unidentifiable or not found after more than 100 were handed over to families; one source does not mention this
- Source 1 mentions Pakistani Information Minister calling it a 'precise operation' targeting terrorism facilities near the center and questions proportionality under international law; other sources do not reference these details
Filed by 3 outlets
ToloNews
Originating
Framed
Framed
Bakhtar News
Framed
Framed
Afghanistan International
Framed
Framed
Filed under
Security — Pakistan Airstrike, Omid Rehabilitation Center, Kabul, Mass Burial, Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations
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