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Gunmen storm Kabul maternity ward, killing 13, including 2 newborns Mothers, newborns among 16 dead after gunmen storm Kabul maternity ward
(about 4 hours later)
KABUL — Gunmen set off an explosion Tuesday at the entrance of one of Kabul's busiest hospitals before storming the building, which includes a maternity ward, killing 13, including two newborns. KABUL — Mothers, newborns and nurses are among 16 dead after gunmen stormed a maternity ward in the Afghan capital Tuesday, according to the Interior Ministry. Sixteen others were wounded.
The attackers battled for hours with Afghan security forces. According to the interior minister, the rest of those slain were nurses and mothers. Some 15 others were injured. The hospital is one of the busiest in western Kabul and houses a maternity ward run by Doctors Without Borders. The hospital is one of the busiest in Kabul and houses a maternity ward run by Doctors Without Borders. Photos and videos from the scene showed police officers carrying newborns to emergency medical teams nearby. One photo showed a woman lying on her back crumpled against a hospital room wall, a small baby in her arms.
While no group has claimed responsibility for the assault, it echoes earlier attacks on civilian targets carried out by the extremist Islamic State group. In March, gunmen stormed a Sikh temple, killing 25, and earlier that month shooters killed 32 at an ethnic Hazara and Shiite gathering. The same day, a suicide bombing at a police officer's funeral in Nangahar province left 24 dead and 68 wounded, according to the provincial governor's office.
The attacks come amid a surge in violence in Afghanistan, nearly three months after the United States and the Taliban signed a landmark peace deal. The Taliban denied responsibility for both attacks, and the shooting in Kabul echoes earlier attacks on Afghan minority groups carried out by the Islamic State.
The future of armed groups like the Islamic State in Afghanistan was a critical element of negotiations between the United States and the Taliban in the lead up to the signing of the agreement in February. U.S. negotiators demanded assurances from the Taliban that terrorist organizations with aims of attacking the West would not be allowed to operate in territory under their control.
The Taliban has stepped up its own attacks on Afghan security forces in recent weeks, a tactic that the militant group says is within the bounds of the agreement with the United States but that has angered Afghan leaders and sparked condemnation from American officials.
In response to Tuesday’s violence, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani ordered Afghan forces to resume attacks on the Taliban, switching from “active defensive” footing to “offensive” mode — in a move that could further jeopardize the peace deal.
The hospital attack is just the latest deadly shooting targeting minority groups in Kabul. The hospital is in a predominantly Hazara neighborhood, where the Islamic State has concentrated attacks in the past. In March, shooters killed 32 at an ethnic Hazara and Shiite gathering, and later that month, gunmen stormed a Sikh temple, killing 25.
Afghan security forces battled for nearly four hours to clear the site and kill the attackers. More than 100 patients, family members, doctors and nurses were evacuated from the hospital during the attack.
An obstetrician at the hospital said she ran toward a safe room with a nurse and a wounded woman when she heard the gunfire and explosion. Once inside, she began to treat the woman while gunfire rang through the hospital halls.
Taliban attacks in Afghanistan surge after U.S. peace deal, inflicting heavy casualtiesTaliban attacks in Afghanistan surge after U.S. peace deal, inflicting heavy casualties
Photos and videos from the scene circulating on social media showed police forces carrying newborns to emergency medical teams nearby. One photo showed a woman lying on her back crumpled up against a hospital room wall, a small baby lying in her arms. Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Aryan called the attack a “crime against all values.” He added, “Any groups that are involved in such attacks are against all human and Islamic values.”
Health officials said the hospital’s maternity health program is one of the most well-respected in Kabul, providing services to thousands of women every month. The head of Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission, Shaharzad Akbar, condemned the brutality of an attack targeting newborns. She wrote in a tweet, “Among their first experiences [is] being targeted in a war they & their mothers had no part in.”
Ministry of Interior spokesman Tariq Arian called the attack a “crime against all values.” He added, “Any groups that are involved in such attacks are against all human and Islamic values.”
The head of Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission, Shaharzad Akbar, condemned the brutality of an attack targeting newborn babies. She wrote in a tweet, “Among their first experiences [is] being targeted in a war they & their mothers had no part in.”
Also Tuesday, a suicide bomber attacked a funeral ceremony of a police officer in eastern Afghanistan. The explosion killed 15 and wounded 56, according to the provincial governor’s office.
The Taliban denied responsible for both attacks Tuesday.
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