Pakistan and Afghanistan announce Ramadan truce after hospital attack
The conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which has been ongoing for months, saw a ceasefire declared on Wednesday during the final days of Ramadan. This came after a Pakistani airstrike on a Kabul hospital for drug addicts that resulted in hundreds of casualties.
The ceasefire will take effect Thursday local time and last until next Monday at midnight, announced Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.
Both countries made announcements, in similar terms, declaring a truce on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr. The ceasefire was called for by friendly Muslim countries Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey, they said.
Afghanistan will respond courageously to any aggression, stated Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid. Pakistan also declared readiness to respond strongly in case of attack.
Shaky stability in the Gulf States
On Monday evening, Pakistani planes bombed Kabul, devastating a hospital for drug addicts. The attack resulted in 408 deaths and 265 injuries, according to Taliban authorities.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the strike on Wednesday, the deadliest since the conflict began, stressing that medical facilities must be respected and protected under international law. Pakistan denied intentionally targeting the medical center, claiming to aim at military and terrorist targets.
Collective funerals
Over 50 victims were buried on Wednesday in Kabul, according to a Health Ministry spokesperson. On a rain-soaked hill in the capital, Red Cross volunteers laid simple wooden coffins in a freshly dug mass grave in the late afternoon, observed an AFP journalist.
Today is a sad day, expressed the Afghan Interior Minister while offering condolences to the families. Afghans are facing tough times […] these people were human beings and we will seek justice for them, he added. We are not weak; you will see the consequences of your crimes,” the minister addressed the Pakistani forces.
However, Sirajuddin Haqqani, once the most sought-after man by Washington in Afghanistan, left the door open to conflict resolution through mediation. We do not want war, but the situation has come to this. We are trying to solve the problem through diplomacy,” he emphasized.
Other victims will be buried in their respective regions, as indicated by AFP Abdul Mateen Qani, Interior Ministry spokesperson. The identification process is still ongoing. The intensity of the strike caused some bodies to explode,” explained Jacopo Caridi, Norwegian Refugee Council director for Afghanistan.
From what we have seen and discussed with other [agencies] involved in relief operations, we can say there are hundreds of dead and injured,” he stated in an interview with AFP, marking the first independent confirmation of the heavy toll.
The hospital catered to around 2000 patients with addiction from across Afghanistan. Some parts were completely destroyed,” continued Mr. Caridi, describing horrible scenes with body parts in the ruins.
