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Newborn babies among dead in attack on Kabul maternity hospital Newborn babies among dead in attack on Kabul maternity hospital
(about 2 hours later)
At least 13 killed and dozens evacuated during attack by people wearing police uniformsAt least 13 killed and dozens evacuated during attack by people wearing police uniforms
Gunmen have attacked a hospital in Kabul where the international humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) runs a maternity clinic, killing at least 13 people including two newborn babies.Gunmen have attacked a hospital in Kabul where the international humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) runs a maternity clinic, killing at least 13 people including two newborn babies.
Fifteen people were also wounded in the attack on the Dasht-e-Barchi hospital, according to a ministry of interior official, and dozens of people were being evacuated. The attack began in the morning when at least three gunmen wearing police uniforms entered the Dasht-e-Barchi hospital, throwing grenades and shooting, government officials said. Fifteen people were wounded, according to the ministry of interior. Security forces had killed the attackers by the afternoon.
Some people remained trapped in the hospital and several doctors had leapt to an adjacent building after at least three attackers wearing police uniforms entered, throwing grenades and shooting, government officials said. The 100-bed government-run facility is supported by MSF, which confirmed the attack in a tweet and said staff and patients were being evacuated. Just hours before it had tweeted a photo of a newborn infant at the clinic in his mother’s arms after being delivered safely by emergency caesarean section.
Interior and health ministry officials said that mothers, nurses and children were among the dead and wounded.
Photos from the ministry of interior showed two young children lying dead inside the hospital. Soldiers ferried children out of the compound, some wrapped in blood-stained blankets. Officials said 100 people in total were rescued, including three foreign nationals.
The neighbourhood is home to many members of Afghanistan’s Hazara community, a mostly Shia Muslim minority that has been attacked by Sunni militants from Islamic State in the past, including at a Kabul ceremony commemorating the death of one of its leaders in March.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the Taliban said they were not involved.There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the Taliban said they were not involved.
The 100-bed government-run facility is supported by MSF, said Wahidullah Mayar, a spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health.
Security forces were working to counter the attack and 80 people including women and children had been evacuated, said the interior ministry spokesman, Tariq Arian.
The security forces had shot one attacker but clashes were going on, he said. The deputy health minister, Waheed Majroh, said eight people including children had been wounded and taken to other hospitals.
MSF did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It says on its website it operates a maternity clinic at the hospital in one of Kabul’s poorest neighbourhoods.
The neighbourhood is home to many members of Afghanistan’s Hazara community, a mostly Shia Muslim minority that has been attacked by Islamic State in the past, including at a Kabul ceremony commemorating the death of one of its leaders in March.
Several bloody attacks in the capital in recent months have been claimed by Isis.Several bloody attacks in the capital in recent months have been claimed by Isis.
In a separate attack the same day, a suicide bomber struck the funeral of a police commander, attended by government officials and a member of parliament, in the eastern province of Nangahar, killing at least 24 people and injuring 68.
A spokesman for the Nangahar provincial government said the casualty toll could rise in the attack on the funeral.
Rights group Amnesty International condemned both attacks.
“The unconscionable war crimes in Afghanistan today, targeting a maternity hospital and a funeral, must awaken the world to the horrors civilians continue to face,” the group said on Twitter. “There must be accountability for these grave crimes.”
On Monday, security forces said they had arrested three senior Isis members including a regional leader.On Monday, security forces said they had arrested three senior Isis members including a regional leader.
Last week, security forces killed and arrested several members of an Isis cell that authorities said was responsible for several attacks in Kabul including one on a Sikh temple in March.Last week, security forces killed and arrested several members of an Isis cell that authorities said was responsible for several attacks in Kabul including one on a Sikh temple in March.
Roadside blasts in the capital on Monday, which wounded four civilians, were claimed by the group.Roadside blasts in the capital on Monday, which wounded four civilians, were claimed by the group.
Afghanistan is also facing violence from the Taliban, as the US tries to usher in peace talks after signing a troop withdrawal agreement in February with the militants.Afghanistan is also facing violence from the Taliban, as the US tries to usher in peace talks after signing a troop withdrawal agreement in February with the militants.
The Taliban say they are holding back from attacking urban centres and their operations are aimed at government security forces.The Taliban say they are holding back from attacking urban centres and their operations are aimed at government security forces.
Also on Tuesday, 40 people were killed or wounded in an attack at the funeral of a police commander in the eastern province of Nangarhar, according to Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the provincial government.