Terrorist Group Attacks Afghanistan Maternity Ward, Kills Women and Children

On May 12, two babies and 12 mothers and nurses were brutally killed in a militant attack on a hospital in the Afghan capital Kabul. There were 15 people, including children, who were injured in the attack by several gunmen. In Nangarhar, located in the east of Afghan, a bombing at a funeral killed 24 people.

President Ashraf Ghani said that he was ordering the resumption of offensive operations against the Taliban and other groups. He then accused the militants of ignoring repeated calls for a reduction in violence.

According to reports, the Islamic State or IS group was behind the attack on a police commander's funeral in Nangarhar, but it is still not clear who was behind the attack at the hospital, and the notorious group, the Taliban, denied any involvement on the incident.

The maternity ward in the hospital is run by the international medical charity Médecins sans Frontières or MSF and some of those working there are foreigners. Mike Pompeo, the U.S Secretary of State, called the attack on the hospitals an "unconscionable assaults" and "sheer evil". In a statement, Pompeo urged the Afghan government and the Taliban to co-operate to bring the perpetrators to justice.

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What happened at the hospital?

The attack at the maternity ward began on the morning of May 12 and the locals said that they heard two blasts then gunfire. One doctor who fled during the assault said that 140 people were in the hospital when the gunmen attacked. Another doctor told the AFP news agency that panic took hold as the attack happened.

The vendor who saw the whole thing transpire, Ramazan Ali, told Reuters that the attackers were shooting at anyone at the hospital without any reason. It is a government hospital which means a lot of people bring in their women and their children for treatment.

An official told BBC that Afghan special forces rescued 100 women and children, including three foreigners. The attackers, who had gained access by dressing up as police officers, were all killed by security personnel after a gunfire exchange that lasted for hours. A lot of foreign staff live in a guesthouse behind the Dasht-e-Barchi Hospital and a doctor who fled the building said that he saw an explosion too.

Similar attacks

There were similar attacks in the past, and most have been attributed to IS. The leader of the group in South Asia and the Far East was arrested in Kabul with two other high profile members, according to Afghan intelligence. In 2017, IS gunmen disguised as medical staff attacked the main military hospital in Kabul and killed 50 people.

The attack prompted widespread anger and shock and raised questions about security. However, the Taliban also attack hospitals. In 2019, 20 people died after a truck packed with explosives was detonated by militants from the group outside a hospital in Zabul.

President Ghani said that in order to provide security for public places and to thwart attacks and threats from the Taliban and other terrorist groups. he ordered Afghan security forces to switch from an active defense mode to an offensive one and to resume operations against the enemies.