In an hours-long shoot out with police, gunmen killed over 16 people in the western part of Afghanistan in Kabul including 2 newborns, their mothers and number of nurses.
Pictures coming from Kabul show heart-wrenching scenes where a woman, who had been killed, can be seen holding her baby in her arms, who has survived the attack and has been shifted to another ward. Other photos from the Ministry of Interior Affairs showed two young children lying dead inside the hospital.
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It is still not known why the maternity hospital was attacked. Afghanistan in a statement has condemned the attack calling it an “act against humanity and a war crime”. They added that the security forces had earlier successfully been able to evacuate at least 80 people from the building.
The hospital was attacked by three men wearing police uniforms and throwing grenades inside the hospital.
The place where the attack took place is the neighbourhood to many members of Afghanistan’s Hazara community, a mostly Shia Muslim minority that has been attacked by ISIL in the past, including at a Kabul ceremony commemorating the death of one of its leaders in March.
Several countries including Turkey, the United Kingdom, India and Pakistan condemned the incident.
Feature image credit – ABC
