Human Rights Watch says Pakistan’s strike on a drug treatment center in Kabul, which killed civilians, was unlawful and likely a war crime, calling for an immediate, impartial investigation and accountability.
In a statement on Friday, the group said international humanitarian law requires all parties to take constant care to protect civilians and ensure that targets are lawful military objectives.
Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said available evidence indicates the Pakistani airstrike on the rehabilitation facility was unlawful. She added that Pakistani authorities should conduct an impartial investigation to determine why a center full of civilians was targeted and who should be held accountable.
Pakistan carried out airstrikes on at least nine targets in Kabul and Nangarhar on March 16. Bombs struck the Omid rehabilitation center in eastern Kabul, where hundreds of people were receiving treatment for drug addiction.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar described the operation as precision airstrikes targeting Taliban terrorist infrastructure and ammunition storage facilities, but did not mention the rehabilitation center.
International organisations reported that at least 143 people were killed and more than 250 injured in the attack, most of them patients.
Human Rights Watch said its investigation found no signs of secondary explosions typically associated with ammunition depots, such as bulk explosives or propellants. It also noted that the facility lacked the space required to safely store weapons or fuel.
The organisation stressed that hospitals and medical facilities are specially protected under the laws of war and only lose that protection if used for military purposes, and even then, require warning.
It added that attacks are prohibited if expected civilian harm is disproportionate to the anticipated military advantage.
Human Rights Watch said it found no evidence that the Omid center was used for military purposes, concluding that the strike violated the prohibition on disproportionate attacks under the laws of war.
