At least 25 dead, several wounded in Kabul military hospital attack

Kabul, Nov 2 (EFE).- At least 25 people were killed and an unspecified number wounded on Tuesday in a suicide attack with explosives on a military hospital in Kabul, according to official sources.

“Unfortunately we have 25 people martyred in today’s attack on the military hospital,” a government official told EFE on the condition of anonymity, adding that the final count of people wounded was not clear yet.

However, at least 40 people were reportedly injured while the attack was still ongoing.

A member of the security forces, who asked not to be named, told EFE the attack concluded with all the attackers being taken down.

“Our initial information suggests the attack was carried out by Daesh (Islamic State or IS) fighters,” he added.

An eyewitness from the hospital, requesting anonymity, told EFE that “the attackers used firearms and hand grenades to fight the Taliban, but the attack has ended and we no longer hear gunshots or explosions.”

Interior Ministry spokesperson Qari Sayed Khoty told EFE an initial explosion occurred in front of the entrance of the Sardar Mohammad Daoud Khan military hospital, located in the center of the Afghan capital, with a capacity for some 400 beds.

An eyewitness from inside the health center, who asked not to be named, told EFE that “there are attackers inside the hospital” and that “gunfire and fighting continues.”

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Sardar Mohammad Daoud Khan Hospital is the main military hospital in Kabul and is only a few meters from the US Embassy and the Afghan Ministry of Health.

The Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for attacks in at least eight of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces since the Taliban seized power on Aug.15.

The deadliest attack by the extremist group in recent months occurred on Aug.26 at Kabul airport, resulting in some 170 deaths, when thousands of Afghans were desperately trying to flee the country after the Taliban takeover.

On Oct.8, a suicide attack by the IS on a minority Shia mosque left at least 80 dead and about 100 wounded in Kunduz, while another similar attack a week later in southern Kandahar left another 60 dead.

According to analysts, the IS has emerged as the biggest security threat to the Taliban government in Afghanistan, carrying out regular attacks against the new government. EFE

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