- Pakistan rejects attack on facility, saying military installations and ammunition depots targeted
GENEVA
The UN human rights office on Tuesday demanded an independent investigation into a deadly blast at a drug rehabilitation center in Afghanistan that reportedly killed scores of patients.
"Last night’s tragic blast … must be investigated promptly, independently and transparently, and those responsible held to account in line with international standards," spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters in Geneva.
"Those results must be made public," he said, noting victims and their families are entitled to reparations.
Witnesses described “a scene of total destruction at the hospital site,” in Kabul, with hundreds searching for missing relatives, according to the office.
Al-Kheetan stressed that under international humanitarian law, "civilians and civilian objects are strictly protected," and medical facilities are afforded special protection.
The incident comes amid escalating hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Pakistan said Tuesday that it carried out precision airstrikes overnight targeting Afghan military installations in the capital Kabul and eastern Nangarhar province, rejecting a claim by Afghanistan that the drug rehabilitation facility was hit.
Al-Kheetan said 289 Afghan civilians, including 104 children and 59 women, have been killed or injured, with tens of thousands displaced.
He added that in Pakistan, many have also fled their homes, and schools have been closed.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, he said, urged "an immediate end to hostilities," the protection of civilians, and urged all parties to ensure aid reaches those in need.