Attack on hospital leaves newborns among the dead
MILITANTS stormed a maternity hospital in Kabul, sparking an hours-long shootout with police and killing 14 people, including two newborn babies, their mothers and a number of nurses, Afghan officials said.
While the battle was under way, Afghan security forces struggled to evacuate the facility, carrying out babies and frantic young mothers, according to images shared by the Interior Ministry.
Soon after the attack started, black smoke rose into the sky over the hospital in Dashti Barchi, a mostly Shiite neighbourhood that has been the site of many past attacks by Daesh militants.
Interior Ministry spokesman Tareq Arian said more than 100 women and babies were evacuated from the building before it was over.
Arian said 15 others, including women, men and children, were wounded in the attack. Three foreign nationals were among those safely evacuated, he said.
It was unclear why the maternity hospital in Dashti Barchi, a 100-bed facility, was targeted – an attack Arian said was an “act against humanity and a war crime”.
No-one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in Kabul, where both the Taliban and Daesh frequently target Afghan military and security forces, as well as civilians. The Taliban denied they were involved.
Photos shared by the Interior Ministry during the Kabul attack show newborn babies and their mothers being carried out of the hospital by Afghan security forces.
“The forces are trying to eliminate the terrorists and bring the situation under control,” said Arian while the battle was ongoing.
By mid-afternoon, the ministry issued a statement saying three attackers had stormed the hospital and that one was shot and killed while the other two were still resisting arrest.