Newborns among 24 dead in Kabul hospital attack

Gunmen disguised as police attacked a hospital in the Afghan capital Kabul on Tuesday, killing 24 people including two newborn babies from a maternity clinic run by the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders.

In a separate attack the same day, a suicide bomber struck the funeral of a police commander, attended by government officials and a member of parliament, in the eastern province of Nangahar, killing at least 24 people and injuring 68. Authorities said that toll could rise.

Daesh Khorasan, the Afghan affiliate of the Daesh militant group, claimed responsibility for the Nangahar bombing, the SITE Intelligence Group reported.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the Kabul attack.

Ministry of Interior photos showed two young children lying dead inside the hospital.

An image showed a woman who had been killed lying on the ground still holding tightly to her baby, who a nurse in the unit confirmed to media had survived and had been moved to an intensive care unit at another hospital.

 A woman seen lying on the ground holding tightly to her baby.

The UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have strongly condemned the terror attack that targeted a hospital in the Afghan capital Kabul and another that targeted a funeral, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries.

The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation  expressed in a statement its utter denunciation of these criminal acts and rejection of all forms of violence, which aim to undermine security and stability and contravene all religious and human values and principles.

The Ministry also extended its condolences to the families of the victims of these heinous crimes while wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.

According to the Saudi Press Agency, SPA, the Kingdom's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed in a statement on Tuesday its solidarity with Afghanistan and its standing with it against extremism, violence, and terrorism.

Babies are taken away by ambulance after gunmen attacked a maternity hospital in Kabul. AP

The ministry also extended its condolences to the families of the victims of these heinous crimes as well as to its government and people, while wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.

Other countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey and Pakistan also released statements condemning the violence.

President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attacks and said he had ordered the military to switch to offensive mode rather than the defensive stance it had adopted as the United States withdraws troops and tries to broker the talks.

"In order to provide security for public places and to thwart attacks and threats from the Taliban and other terrorist groups, I am ordering Afghan security forces to switch from an active defence mode to an offensive one and to start their operations against the enemies," he said in a televised speech.

Women sit in an ambulance after being rescued by security forces during an attack at a hospital in Kabul. Reuters 

The Taliban warned on Wednesday it was ready to fight back after Afghan forces were ordered to resume strikes in response to a series of deadly attacks, further unravelling a fragile peace process.

Taliban, which denied involvement in Tuesday's attacks, warned it was "fully prepared" to counter any strikes by Afghan forces.

Meanwhile National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib said on Twitter: "there seems little point in continuing to engage Taliban in peace talks."

In a statement, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned "the two horrific terrorist attacks" in the strongest terms, noted the Taliban had denied responsibility and said the lack of a peace deal left the country vulnerable to such attacks.

Pompeo also described the stalled peace effort, which planned for intra-Afghan peace talks to begin on March 10 but have yet to occur, as "a critical opportunity for Afghans to... build a united front against the menace of terrorism."

The Pentagon declined comment on Ghani's stated intent to restart offensive operations, saying only that the US military continued to reserve the right to defend Afghan security forces if they are attacked by the Taliban.

Shooting at anyone

The Kabul attack began in the morning when at least three gunmen wearing police uniforms entered the Dasht-e-Barchi hospital, throwing grenades and shooting, government officials said. Security forces had killed the attackers by the afternoon.

"The attackers were shooting at anyone in this hospital without any reason. It's a government hospital, and a lot of people bring in their women and children for treatment," said Ramazan Ali, a nearby vendor who saw the start of the attack.

The 100-bed government-run hospital hosted a maternity clinic run by Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French name Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

Just hours before the attack, MSF had tweeted a photo of a newborn in his mother's arms at the clinic after being delivered safely by emergency caesarean section.

Interior and health ministry officials said mothers, nurses and children were among the dead and wounded.

Soldiers ferried infants out of the compound, some wrapped in blood-stained blankets, and officials said 100 people were rescued, including three foreigners.

Reuters