This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/08/world/asia/kabul-military-hospital-in-afghanistan-comes-under-attack.html
The article has changed 11 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Kabul Military Hospital in Afghanistan Comes Under Attack | Kabul Military Hospital in Afghanistan Comes Under Attack |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| KABUL, Afghanistan — Gunmen stormed the main military hospital in Kabul on Wednesday after a suicide bombing at one of its gates, and fighting was underway, Afghan officials said. | KABUL, Afghanistan — Gunmen stormed the main military hospital in Kabul on Wednesday after a suicide bombing at one of its gates, and fighting was underway, Afghan officials said. |
| Major Gen. Dawlat Waziri, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, said a suicide bomber on foot had detonated his explosives at the gates of Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan Hospital near Kabul’s diplomatic district, after which other attackers entered the building. The attackers were wearing medical uniforms, General Waziri said. | Major Gen. Dawlat Waziri, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, said a suicide bomber on foot had detonated his explosives at the gates of Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan Hospital near Kabul’s diplomatic district, after which other attackers entered the building. The attackers were wearing medical uniforms, General Waziri said. |
| The exact number of how many people had been killed or injured was not clear. One Western official said that at least 20 were killed and 35 were wounded. A spokesman for the Afghan Health Ministry, Ismail Kawoosi, said that so far, three bodies and 66 wounded people had been taken to nearby civilian hospitals. | |
| Zahir Ziya, a doctor at the hospital, said he feared that the casualties would be high, with Afghan soldiers accounting for most of them. As the war has escalated and the Afghan security forces have suffered record casualties, the hospital is busy on any given day. It is the main care center for wounded Afghan army soldiers, and the bodies of those who are killed are brought there daily. | Zahir Ziya, a doctor at the hospital, said he feared that the casualties would be high, with Afghan soldiers accounting for most of them. As the war has escalated and the Afghan security forces have suffered record casualties, the hospital is busy on any given day. It is the main care center for wounded Afghan army soldiers, and the bodies of those who are killed are brought there daily. |
| Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said initial information suggested it was a “complex attack,” with two or three assailants having entered the hospital. He said the first explosion targeted one of the hospital’s rear entrances, not the main entrance. | Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said initial information suggested it was a “complex attack,” with two or three assailants having entered the hospital. He said the first explosion targeted one of the hospital’s rear entrances, not the main entrance. |
| Hours after the Taliban denied their involvement, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack through its Amaq news agency, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. | Hours after the Taliban denied their involvement, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack through its Amaq news agency, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. |
| A group affiliated with the Islamic State has been trying to gain a foothold in the east of the country. But it has been the target of repeated operations from Afghan forces and airstrikes by the United States military, which have taken out about 700 fighters, according to a United States military spokesman. | A group affiliated with the Islamic State has been trying to gain a foothold in the east of the country. But it has been the target of repeated operations from Afghan forces and airstrikes by the United States military, which have taken out about 700 fighters, according to a United States military spokesman. |
| Despite that, the group has said that it was responsible for an increasing number of suicide missions in Kabul, the one on the hospital being the most sophisticated of them yet. | Despite that, the group has said that it was responsible for an increasing number of suicide missions in Kabul, the one on the hospital being the most sophisticated of them yet. |
| Mortaza Ahmadi, a hospital worker trapped in the building, said by telephone that there had been five attackers, four of whom blew themselves up. “Now Afghan forces have come to rescue us,” Mr. Ahmadi said. “Some patients are still in their rooms, others have escaped.” | Mortaza Ahmadi, a hospital worker trapped in the building, said by telephone that there had been five attackers, four of whom blew themselves up. “Now Afghan forces have come to rescue us,” Mr. Ahmadi said. “Some patients are still in their rooms, others have escaped.” |