At Least 25 People Were Killed After Suicide Bomber, Gunmen Attack Military Hospital In Kabul

At least 25 people were killed and more than 50 wounded after gunmen attacked a 400-bed military hospital in Afghanistan after two heavy explosions at the site in central Kabul on Tuesday, Nov. 2, officials said.

IS Khorasan (ISIS-K), an ISIS affiliate that operates in central Asia, has claimed responsibility for the attack, CNN reported.

The attack began when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives near the entrance of the Daoud Khan Military hospital.

Following the explosion, a group of Islamic State gunmen broke into the hospital grounds and opened fire.

“Twenty-five dead bodies and about 50 wounded people have been taken to hospitals in Kabul,” a health ministry official, who did not wish to be named, told AFP.

All gunmen were killed within 15 minutes, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

“All the attackers are dead. The attack was initiated by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle who blew himself up at the entrance of the hospital,” he said.

Witnesses said at least two helicopters were flying over the area as the attack went on. It was reportedly one of the first times that Taliban forces have used the aircraft that they had captured from the Western-backed government in a combat operation.

A doctor treating incoming patients at the nearby Wazir Akbar Khan civilian hospital was speaking to AFP while the attack was being carried out.

“I heard a big explosion coming from the first checkpoint. We were told to go to safe rooms. I also hear guns firing.”

“I can still hear gun firing inside the hospital building. I think the attackers are going from room to room... like the first time it was attacked,” the doctor added.

The Daoud Khan Military hospital, which treats wounded soldiers from both the Taliban and former Afghan security forces, was previously attacked in 2011, when Taliban linked suicide bombers blew themselves up inside the facility, killing six people and injuring 26 others

Yet another attack happened in 2017 when gunmen disguised as medical personnel mounted a complex attack on the hospital, killing more than 30 people in an hours-long siege.

Tuesday’s incident adds to the growing list of attacks and killings since the Taliban gained victory over the Afghan government in August.