KARACHI: Emerging evidence from Kabul reveals the Afghan Taliban’s claims of Pakistan hitting a civilian rehab center and killing hundreds are FAKE — propaganda being busted step by step.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MoIB) and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar insist the strikes were “precision operations” against terrorist infrastructure, specifically ammunition depots at Camp Phoenix in Kabul’s Shah Shaheed area. Officials emphasize that the alleged target, the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, lies several kilometers away from the strike zone.
Evidence of Military Targets
Footage released by MoIB shows secondary explosions and flames consistent with munitions cooking off, not a civilian building collapse.
Independent observers on Reddit and Instagram shared ground‑level videos of hours‑long detonations, reinforcing the ammo depot narrative.
Officials question why a rehab facility would be situated inside a military camp, suggesting it may have been used as cover or a human shield.
Disinformation Indicators
Taliban deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat circulated an old photo from May 2023, originally shared by Afghanistan’s interior ministry, to depict alleged casualties.
The Taliban later deleted an initial post claiming a hospital strike, which included what analysts flagged as an AI‑generated video.
These discrepancies point to a deliberate attempt to inflate civilian casualty figures.
Independent Assessments
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) disputes Taliban claims of 400+ deaths, reporting “dozens” killed or wounded.
Another UN agency estimated 143 casualties, still significant but far below Taliban figures.
The New York Times cited UN assessments of “complete destruction” in one facility section, but overall tolls remained dozens, not hundreds.
Social media imagery shows the rehab building largely intact, damaged only by fire from nearby blasts—consistent with secondary explosions rather than a direct hit.
Narrative Under Scrutiny
While Taliban officials and some aid groups continue to allege high civilian deaths, inconsistencies in imagery, deleted posts, and evidence of ammunition detonations have cast doubt on the “hospital strike” narrative. Even the BBC reportedly pulled an initial report echoing Taliban claims after questions arose about authenticity.
Analysts note that without a full independent investigation, neither side’s account can be conclusively verified. However, the strongest tangible evidence—secondary explosions, intact structures, and recycled imagery—undermines the Taliban’s portrayal of a deliberate strike on a civilian rehab center.
