25 dead and 40 wounded in suicide attack on military hospital in Kabul

At least 25 people were killed and 40 others injured in a suicide bomb attack followed by a shooting Tuesday at a Kabul military hospital, an incident the Taliban blamed on the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.

The Taliban special security forces ended the assault in mid-afternoon, killing four attackers and capturing two others alive after hours of fighting.

“Unfortunately, we have 25 dead in today’s attack on a military hospital,” a member of the Taliban told Efe, who requested anonymity, and who placed the balance of wounded at at least 40.

According to Interior Ministry spokesman Qari Sayed Khosty, the attack began with an initial explosion in front of the entrance to the Sardar Mohammad Daoud Khan military hospital, located in the center of the capital and with a capacity for 400 beds.

“At least six attackers were involved in today’s attack, four of them have died while two were captured alive,” said a Taliban official.

The source said that the authorities “are still collecting information on the victims,” ​​although it indicated that there are civilians and members of the security forces among the dead and wounded.

After several hours of shooting, the officer ended the attack.

“The attack is over, the area is safe again and the situation is returning to normal. Those killed and wounded in today’s attack were evacuated to hospitals, ”he said.

Moments of anguish

The attack took place while hundreds of people were in the building, causing scenes of panic.

“It was terrible, for a moment we believed that these were the last moments of our lives, but thanks to Allah everything is fine for most of us,” a doctor who was trapped inside the hospital told Efe.

A witness, who requested anonymity, told Efe from the hospital that “the attackers used firearms and hand grenades to fight the Taliban, but the attack has ended and we no longer hear shots or explosions.”

Sardar Mohammad Daoud Khan Hospital is Kabul’s main military hospital, located just a few meters from the US Embassy and the Afghan Ministry of Health.

This center suffered in March 2017 an attack claimed by the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) that caused more than thirty deaths and dozens of injuries, after a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance of the hospital.

The suicide bomber opened the way for three other insurgents who stormed the compound and fired “indiscriminately” until the last of them was killed by Afghan troops six and a half hours after the start of the attack.

The Taliban blame the Islamic State

So far, no group has claimed responsibility, but the Taliban have blamed the IS based on “initial information” and, as they remarked in a statement at the end of the attack, the jihadists “failed” in their suicide operation.

“The attack was controlled in 15 minutes and the IS fighters died in the entrance and courtyard of the hospital,” said Taliban spokesman Bilal Karim, trying to downplay the enemy action.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for attacks in at least eight of the 34 Afghan provinces since the Taliban seized power on August 15.

The largest attack by the jihadist group in recent months, with about 170 deaths, took place on August 26 at the Kabul airport, when thousands of Afghans desperately tried to flee the country on one of the repatriation flights.

In addition, an ISIS suicide attack on a Shiite mosque left at least 80 dead and about 100 wounded in Kunduz on October 8, and another similar attack a week later in southern Kandahar left another 60 dead.

Analysts and experts have pointed out that the jihadist group has become the greatest threat to the security of the Taliban government in Afghanistan, being behind almost daily attacks against fundamentalists.

In response to these attacks, the Taliban have launched a series of military operations, which are still continuing, and have killed or detained dozens of jihadists. (I)