269 killed, no military target? Amnesty International accuses Pakistan of war crimes for THIS reason

Amnesty International has called for Pakistan to be investigated for a possible war crime over an alleged missile strike on a drug rehabilitation centre in Afghanistan earlier this year, saying there is no evidence to support Islamabad's claim that it targeted a military facility. In a report released on Wednesday (Jul 22), the rights group said the Omid Rehabilitation and Treatment Centre was struck on March 16 during escalating tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

According to Amnesty, the attack killed 269 people and injured hundreds more, with most of the victims being patients undergoing treatment for substance abuse.

Pakistan rejects allegations

Pakistan has denied targeting the rehabilitation centre, insisting its forces struck a militant facility. Following the incident, Pakistan's Information Ministry said the military had targeted a "military terrorist ammunition and equipment storage site" known as Camp Phoenix. However, Amnesty said its investigation found no evidence to support that claim.

The organisation alleged that Pakistan failed to verify whether the target was a legitimate military objective and accused it of violating international humanitarian law, which provides special protection to medical facilities during armed conflict.

Amnesty cites satellite images, witness accounts

The Omid Rehabilitation and Treatment Centre, described as a newly renovated 2,000-bed facility, formed part of the Taliban government's campaign to tackle drug addiction in Afghanistan. It was located next to the former NATO base Camp Phoenix, where US forces once trained members of the Afghan National Army.

Amnesty said its investigation relied on satellite imagery, photographs, videos and witness testimonies gathered after the strike. According to the organisation's research, it verified more than 60 photographs and videos and interviewed current and former staff members of the rehabilitation centre as well as the neighbouring Ibn-e-Sina Hospital.

The rights group said satellite images taken three days before the strike showed dozens of patients inside the facility, including in the main treatment area and administrative building.

Witnesses living nearby also told Amnesty that the complex was functioning as a medical facility at the time of the attack.

'Bodies everywhere'

According to Amnesty's findings shared with The Independent, many of those killed were in the dining hall and kitchen when the strike occurred at around 9 pm, suggesting patients had gathered for dinner.

One witness told investigators that one of the damaged buildings had been used to store wood and coal rather than military equipment.

"When I visited, I saw remnants of wood and coal. There were many clothes. There were many shoes. These were not military shoes," the witness said.

A staff member told Amnesty that more than 1,000 patients were inside the rehabilitation centre when it was struck. A healthcare worker describing the aftermath of the attack said, "I rushed to help anywhere I heard noise and calls for help. After a while I was no longer hearing any voices. Anywhere I stepped, there was a dead body."

Amnesty calls for independent investigation

Amnesty said signboards identifying the facility as a drug rehabilitation and treatment centre had been displayed outside the complex for years, arguing that Pakistan should have known it was a protected civilian site.

"This was a lethal failure by Pakistan to comply with its obligation to do everything feasible to verify whether the target was a military objective," said Isabelle Lassee, Amnesty International's acting regional director for South Asia.

She said the attack constituted "a serious violation of international humanitarian law, possibly amounting to a war crime."

Amnesty has urged Pakistan to conduct what it described as a transparent, thorough, independent and impartial investigation into the strike, publish its findings and prosecute anyone found criminally responsible, including under the doctrine of command responsibility.