At least 400 individuals were killed and 250 injured according to the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan as a result of an air strike by Pakistani forces on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, which has marked a radical increase in tension between the two neighbouring nations.

According to the Taliban government, the strike attacked the state-run institution, Omid hospital, on Monday evening, resulting in severe damage to the institution, which is said to have hundreds of patients undergoing treatment.

However, Pakistan denied this claim and demanded that its operation was against the infrastructure of the militants and not against civilian facilities. In one of his statements, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar added that the secondary explosions meant there were ammunition depots and not a hospital.

The case occurred against the backdrop of the rekindled tensions between the two nations, with their relations being at their lowest in recent weeks despite the mediation efforts by China to de-escalate the situation.

Witnesses stated that there was massive destruction at the location, with some sections of the hospital lying in rubble and others being on fire. The survivors gave accounts of hearing numerous explosions as patients and employees were finishing evening prayers.

One of the survivors, who identified himself as Ahmad, stated that the fire spread very fast in the building. “The whole place caught fire. It was, as he put it, like doomsday, and a number were inside”

Ambulances and security guards were on the ground to assist in the recovery operation, and rescue teams toiled all night to extract the bodies under the rubble and put out the fire.

Taliban officials reported that massive parts of the hospital were devastated, and there were more fatalities that could occur. But the number of casualties could not be checked separately.

Pakistan has insisted that its moves are part of the current counter-terrorism efforts, claiming Afghanistan is sheltering militants who are involved in cross-border attacks, a claim that Kabul has denied.

The recent intensification is in the context of a general instability in the region, and general tensions in the Middle East continue to make the situation even more problematic.

The United Nations has raised an alarm over the reports and has called on both parties to be cautious and follow international law, especially on the protection of the lives of civilians and medical institutions.

Inquiries into the case are still being made since differing versions are still being reported.