Did Afghan Taliban set fire to 400 drug addicts? guards, doctors say militants torched facility after Pakistan struck nearby targets

By Khushal Khan

A devastating question now haunts the rubble of Kabul's Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital: Did the Afghan Taliban deliberately set fire to a facility housing drug addicts -- killing scores of vulnerable people -- to manufacture a propaganda victory against Pakistan?

Eyewitness accounts from guards and medical staff directly contradict the Taliban's claim that Pakistani airstrikes killed 400 addicts, instead alleging that militants entered the facility after nearby military targets were struck and deliberately set it ablaze using chemicals.

As the regime's narrative crumbles under scrutiny, Taliban authorities have launched a sweeping crackdown on free expression --arresting at least ten individuals for documenting the strike sites and barring most journalists from accessing affected areas, raising urgent questions about what they are trying to hide.

A security guard at the rehab center provided detailed testimony that demolishes the Taliban's official narrative.

Speaking to Afghan Times, the guard stated that Pakistani jets struck an area approximately 200 meters away from the drug rehabilitation hospital. He emphasized that the hospital building itself was not directly targeted.

"The hospital building itself was not targeted, and only minor injuries occurred," the guard said. He confirmed that patients and staff were secured immediately after the nearby strikes, and no major damage happened inside the facility.

The guard stressed that claims of a direct strike on the rehab center "are false and do not reflect what was seen on the ground."

A doctor working at the facility, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, provided even more disturbing details.

"Only a few people were injured in our hospital from the nearby blasts," the doctor told reporters. "But after half an hour, some militants entered. They set fire to the hospital with chemicals."

The doctor's account aligns with the security guard's testimony -- nearby military targets were struck, causing minor injuries, but Pakistani bombs did not cause the catastrophic fire that followed.

The guard and doctors’ accounts have raised questions about who entered the facility after half an hour and set the building on fire.?

- Local reporters find 'no traces of blood' at scene

After being barred for hours, some Afghan media teams were finally allowed access Tuesday morning -- and what they found demolishes the Taliban's official narrative of 400 dead.

"Our team was finally allowed to enter the strike site. Upon inspection, we found no traces of blood or significant structural damage," Afghan Times reported. "Neither ZAWIA News, Afghan Times, nor other media outlets have reported any visible casualties."

Journalists observed that while the Taliban claimed the strike targeted a rehabilitation center, "our team observed no evidence to support this. Only minor structural damage and fire-related effects were visible."

Some people present at the site agreed to interviews. "They told us that the blast occurred a little further away and not at this location," reporters noted.

- Doctor reveals prior warning

Adding to the mounting evidence of staging, a doctor working at the facility told The South Asia Times that Taliban officials warned staff two days before the attack.

"They told some of our colleagues that this centre would be attacked soon, and some staff close to the Taliban didn't come for duty on Monday," the doctor revealed.

He clarified that Pakistani bombs struck a Taliban training centre and intelligence headquarters near the facility -- not the drug centre itself. "Fire erupted in the facility after half an hour. We don't know who set fire to it. There were few people inside. I don't know how many died, but 400 is exaggerated."

Afghan political activist Majeed Qarar highlighted a critical inconsistency: "There was no explosive or oil inside the drug facility. How did a sky-high blaze erupt there? Even if Pakistan targeted the building, how could they drop chemicals creating such a massive fire?"

In a video statement, Qarar declared: "I solemnly say on oath --Taliban told some doctors two days ago this facility would be bombed. Exactly two days later, it happened. Pakistan didn't do it. The Afghan Taliban did it to gain international attention and blackmail Pakistan."

- AI images and vanishing bodies

Taliban spokesmen Zabihullah Mujahid and Hamdullah Fitrat both posted AI-generated images on social media showing hundreds of drug addicts, claiming they were Pakistani bombing victims. This marks the second time in three days that Taliban officials have used AI-generated visuals to allege civilian casualties.

Yet if 400 people died, where are the bodies? Where are the mass funerals? In a society where funeral processions are public events, no videos of mass burials have emerged so far -- and journalists at the scene found "no traces of blood."

Following the strikes, Taliban authorities restricted media access to the targeted area. Several international and local journalists arrived to report, but many were prevented from entering.

According to journalists present, only a few selected outlets were allowed limited access, including reporters from BBC Pashto and Al Jazeera. Journalists from Afghan Times, Zawia News, and Amaj News were also not permitted to enter.

High-level orders have now been issued restricting the recording and distribution of such material, with authorities warning that anyone filming similar incidents could face arrest. Only officially authorized media outlets in Afghanistan are permitted to record and publish such content, according to the new directive.

The pattern of suppression is familiar. Pakistan hit four locations in Kabul, including the Shah-Shaheed Ministry of Defense, Kabul Airfield, and a Darulaman military unit. The Taliban is showing only the drug facility -- blocking access to the other three, where credible sources say the regime suffered heavy militant casualties.

Last month, when Pakistan struck seven locations in Nangarhar, Khost, and Paktika, the Taliban allowed media to only one site. The remaining six remained off-limits.

Credibility collapses

When contacted, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid was asked about the accounts of doctors, the security guard, and local journalists who witnessed the scene, as well as who set fire to the drug facility. He was also asked if the attack was real, and 400 people were killed, where the bodies are, and where the funerals were held. Mujahid read the messages on WhatsApp but did not respond.

As one analyst concluded, "Those who know the Taliban closely can expect anything from them. Killing drug addicts to manufacture propaganda is not difficult for them."

For a regime already caught using AI-generated images and fabricating downed jets, the arrests of those seeking truth only deepen the suspicion that 400 addicts were not killed by Pakistan -- but by the Taliban themselves.