Families of 269 Afghans Killed in Pakistan Rehab Strike Demand Answers

An investigation by BBC News has identified 269 Afghans who died in a Pakistani air strike on a compound near the Afghan border that Pakistan's military said was a militant training site. Survivors, medical staff and families told the broadcaster that the buildings were used as a rehabilitation centre for drug-addicted patients, many of them deportees forcibly returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan in recent months. Names and ages of those killed were verified through morgue records and community registers, the BBC said.

Pakistan's military stated the strike targeted what it described as a base used by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, the militant group that has carried out repeated attacks on Pakistani forces from sanctuaries in eastern Afghanistan. Islamabad has not commented in detail on the BBC findings and the Afghan Taliban government has accused Pakistan of striking civilians. Independent verification has been complicated by access restrictions imposed on the border area.

Families of victims interviewed by the BBC said most of those at the facility were patients undergoing treatment and demanded an independent inquiry. International human-rights monitors have called for an investigation, while diplomatic relations between Islamabad and Kabul have deteriorated sharply over recent weeks. Pakistan continues to defend its right of self-defence against cross-border attacks.