(Adnkronos) – Italy’s government has advised citizens in Afghanistan to leave the country aboard “those commercial flights still available” after an air strike by Pakistan on Monday which the Afghan government says killed hundreds of civilians and has escalated the conflict between the neighbouring countries and former allies.
“In light of the ongoing hostilities and the air raids that affected the city of Kabul on March 16, 2026, Italians still present in Afghanistan are urged to consider the opportunity to leave the country, making use of those commercial flights still available,” Italy’s Doha-based embassy posted on X.
The embassy advised Italians who decided to remain in Afghanistan to update their details/register on the foreign ministry website’s travel section or its ‘Safe Travel’ app, to avoid unnecessary movements and and follow instructions issued by the local authorities.
Operating from Doha, Italy’s embassy to Aghanistan cannot give consular assistance locally, the post noted, providing a Qatari emergency number to call.
The Pakistani air strike on Monday targeted a drug rehabilitation hospital in the capital Kabul, killing at least 408 people and injuring 265 more, according to the Afghan Taliban government. Pakistan rejects this account, saying the strike targeted military installations and ‘terrorist support infrastructure’, which no collateral damage.
Pakistan and Afghanistan’s worst fighting in years broke out in February, with Pakistani air strikes inside Afghanistan that Islamabad said targeted militant strongholds. The bombings sparking retaliatory strikes on Pakistan and cross-border fire, with each side claiming to have killed hundreds of enemy troops, without providing evidence.
