A Pakistani airstrike on a drug addiction treatment hospital in Kabul late Monday killed at least 400 people and injured 250 others, according to the Taliban, accusations staunchly rejected as lies by Islamabad.

March 17 (UPI) -- A Pakistani airstrike on a drug addiction treatment hospital in Kabul late Monday killed at least 400 people and injured 250 others, according to the Taliban, accusations staunchly rejected as lies by Islamabad.

The airstrike targeting the 2,000-bed Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital occurred at about 9 p.m. local time, the Afghan government's deputy spokesman, Hamdulla Fitrat, said in a statement.

Large sections of the hospital were destroyed, he said, adding that the casualty toll may rise as rescue teams fight to control the fire at the scene and recover bodies.

"We strongly condemn this crime and consider such an act to be against all accepted principles and a crime against humanity," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a separate statement.

Pakistan quickly rejected the accusations, with Mosharraf Zaidi, the spokesman for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, stating the only addiction in question was the "Taliban's constant lies," for which the cure was "Pakistan's counterterrorism operations."

Islamabad's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting accused Mujahid of "another misreporting of the facts aimed at misleading public opinion."

According to the ministry, Pakistan had targeted military installations and support infrastructure, including equipment and ammunition storage sites in Kabul and Nangarhar used against Pakistani citizens by the Taliban and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, a militant Islamist group seeking to overthrow the Islamabad government.

"Pakistan's targeting is precise and carefully undertaken to ensure no collateral damage is inflicted," the ministry said in a statement.

"This misreporting of facts as [a] drug rehabilitation facility seeks to stir sentiments [while] covering illegitimate support to cross-border terrorism."

Fighting between the two neighbors erupted late last month when Pakistan conducted cross-border airstrikes into Afghanistan, whom it accuses of harboring the TTP militants Islamabad holds responsible for a series of brutal and deadly attacks.

Afghanistan has repeatedly denied allegations Pakistan has leveled at the Taliban since it returned to power in August 2021.

News of the attack on the hospital was met with concern from human rights advocates.

Richard Bennett, the United Nations' special rapporteur for Afghanistan, said in a statement he was "dismayed" by reports of Pakistan's airstrikes.

"My condolences," he said in a statement.

"I urge parties to de-escalate, exercise maximum restraint & respect international law, including the protection of civilians and civilian objects such as hospitals."

Fereshta Abbasi, a researcher on Afghanistan for Human Rights Watch, said they are "very concerned" about the reported strikes on the hospital.

"The authorities should promptly investigate the incident," she said in a statement.

"Civilian facilities must never be targeted or put at risk of disproportionate attack."