30 people killed as Islamic State gunmen dressed as doctors storm a Kabul hospital

At least three gunmen entered Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan Hospital in Kabul, a hospital with 400 beds, dressed in white coats posing as doctors. In the attack, 30 people were killed and 50 were injured. A suicide bombing at the southern gate initiated the attack which was followed by gunfire. After the explosion at approximately 9 am local time, Afghan security forces arrived at the hospital.

According to CNN, the siege lasted six hours before the ISIS militants were killed, three gunmen and one suicide bomber.

The six-hour siege ended with four attackers dead at the Sardar Mohammed Daud Khan hospital, the biggest and best-equipped facility in the country. One suicide bomber died at the hospital’s south gate, and three armed assailants were killed inside the hospital, said Sediq Sediqqi, Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman, said.- CNN

Advertisement

Islamic State later claimed responsibility in a tweet via their news agency Amaq. NBC News reported that, Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, tweeted they were not responsible for the attack on the Kabul hospital. The attack took place on International Women’s Day and has shocked many people who view the hospital as a place where everyone can receive medical treatment, despite their differences.

President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack during an address in honor of International Women’s Day, calling it “an attack on all Afghan people and all Afghan women.”- NBC News

Advertisement

Featured image courtesy of EPA