'Stand in solidarity with Afghanistan': India sends 2.5-ton medical aid to Kabul after Pakistani strikes on rehab centre

NEW DELHI: India on Friday delivered a 2.5-ton consignment of medical supplies and equipment to Kabul following a deadly airstrike on a drug rehabilitation center in the Afghan capital that killed over 400 people.The external affairs ministry said that the shipment carried emergency medicines, medical disposables, kits and equipment to support treatment and recovery for those injured in the attack on March 16. “India stands in solidarity with the Afghan people and will continue to extend all possible humanitarian support in this difficult hour,” the MEA said in a statement. The airstrike struck a large drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul late Monday night, reportedly destroying significant portions of the 2,000-bed complex.Local authorities said at least 400 people were killed and nearly 250 injured. Loud explosions were heard around 9:00 pm (local time) and plumes of smoke were visible from nearby Shahr-e-Naw and Wazir Akbar Khan districts. The incident comes amid heightened tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Pakistan has repeatedly conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan in response to cross-border attacks allegedly carried out by militants sheltered by the Taliban government. Afghan officials, meanwhile, have described these incursions as violations of their sovereignty, with senior leaders emphasizing the duty of all citizens to defend the nation.