Web Desk: Claims circulating from Afghan sources that a Pakistan’s strike hit a hospital in Kabul have been challenged by ministry of Information and broadcasting fact check department, who say available evidence points instead to a targeted strike on a military-linked site.
A review of images, locations and supporting material suggests the reports misidentify the target and rely on outdated visuals, according to findings shared by Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Officials said a photograph used to support allegations of civilian casualties predates the current incident by several years.
The image, they said, was originally released by Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry in early 2023 and has since been recirculated to support recent claims.
Analysts noted that the reuse of older visuals in breaking incidents often raises concerns about the credibility of accompanying narratives.
Authorities also rejected assertions that the strike hit the 2,000-bed Omid Hospital in Kabul, saying the facility remains intact and is located in a densely populated residential area.
Instead, officials said the actual target was Sarshar Camp Omid, a site situated several kilometres away. The location, formerly known as Camp Phoenix during the US military presence in Afghanistan, has been described by Pakistani sources as a facility linked to storage of equipment and ammunition.
Ministry officials added that structural differences between the hospital and the targeted compound are clearly visible, noting that the hospital is a multi-storey building, while images of the strike site show a different type of infrastructure.
While Afghan accounts described widespread destruction, the same images appear to show the hospital’s signboard and flag undamaged. Observers said such details would be unlikely to remain intact if the facility had sustained a direct strike of the scale described.
These inconsistencies, they said, suggest the possibility that some visuals may have been staged or misrepresented.
Officials also questioned the logic behind claims that a civilian rehabilitation facility could be located within or near a site used for storing military-grade materials.
An eyewitness at a drug rehabilitation center in Kabul has also contradicted recent reports circulated by Taliban-linked sources, clarifying the true nature of a recent strike. The security guard stated that the strike occurred approximately 200 meters from the facility, not on the hospital itself.
He confirmed that only minor injuries were reported, all of which are in stable condition, directly countering earlier exaggerated claims of mass casualties.
Furthermore, the presence of anti-aircraft gun fire in the area indicates that the strike targeted a military compound rather than a civilian medical facility.
The eyewitness account dismantles the false narrative promoted to portray the incident as an attack on a hospital, highlighting the importance of verified information amid ongoing tensions.
Read more: Imagery shows Pakistan hit ammo storage in Kabul, Omid Hospital miles from target site
