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World: Attacks on Health Care Bi-Monthly News Brief, 18 February - 03 March 2026

ReliefWeb Updates5 hours ago

WarCast Score

44/100

GPT Reference

85/100

Summary

Countries: World, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Iraq, Lebanon, Mexico, Myanmar, Nigeria, occupied Palestinian territory, South Sudan, Sudan, Ukraine Source: Insecurity Insight Please refer to the attached file. At approximately 21:00 on Monday, 16 March, an airstrike struck the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Afghanistan' s capital Kabul, a two-storey facility with 2,000 beds serving some of the country’s most vulnerable patients. The attack destroyed large sections of the hospital, killing more than 400 people and injuring up to 250 others. The Taliban authorities have accused Pakistan of carrying out the airstrike, amid rapidly worsening tensions that risk spiralling into wider conflict. The Pakistani government has denied responsibility. This incident may be among the deadliest since hostilities intensified last year, when relations between Pakistan and Taliban authorities sharply deteriorated. In October 2015, the MSF hospital in Kunduz was bombed by US forces killing 42 people providing the impetus for the UN Security Council to pass resolution 2286 in May 2016. Since 2016, Insecurity Insight has documented 795 incidents of violence or obstruction of health care in Afghanistan. 38 (or around 5 % of all reported incidents) involved the use of explosive weapons that damaged or destroyed health facilities, killing a total of 12 health workers and injuring 42 others. SHCC Attacks on Health Care This section aligns with the definition of attacks on health care used by the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC). AfricaChad21 February 2026: In El Tina town, Wadi Fira region, an MSF hospital was closed due to heavy fighting between RSF and SAF across the border in El Tina town, Sudan, and was relocated to a previously unused facility. Source: Radio Dabanga Democratic Republic of the Congo18 February 2026: In Kisangani city, Tshopo province, Catherine and Prosper Medical Centre was attacked by angry taxi drivers attempting to v

AI Assessment

Threat Level: HIGH. Airstrike on a major hospital in Kabul attributed to Pakistan amidst rising tensions with the Taliban Potential for escalation into wider conflict between Pakistan and Taliban authorities High casualty figures indicating severe impact on civilian population

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Identified Entities

Countries & Regions

PakistanTaliban

Weapons & Military

airstrike

Threat Indicators

military action
nuclear threat
cyber warfare
terrorism

Key Phrases

"Airstrike on a major hospital in Kabul attributed to Pakistan amidst rising tensions with the Taliban""Potential for escalation into wider conflict between Pakistan and Taliban authorities""High casualty figures indicating severe impact on civilian population"

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Published: 2026-03-17 13:40:34 UTCAI Scored: 3/17/2026Model: local_v2
World: Attacks on Health Care Bi-Monthly News Brief, 18 February - 03 March 2026 | Warcast