Kabul Attack: 2 Babies Among 16 Killed After Gunmen Storm Maternity Ward

Photographs from the attack scene showed a woman, who had been murdered, still holding onto her newborn who survived the shooting.

Kabul| On Tuesday, terrorists attacked a maternity hospital in the western part of the Afghan capital Kabul city. The attack killed two infant babies and more than 16 people including mothers and nurses.

Security forces cordoned off the area as they rescued over 100 women and babies from the hospital.

A group of four gunmen disguised in military uniform entered the hospital, throwing grenades and shooting.

The attackers were killed after a five-hour encounter with security forces, the nation’s interior ministry said.

The attack started with explosions and gunfire close to a maternity hospital in the Dasht-e-Barchi locality in western Kabul.

The area is a Shia-dominated neighbourhood and home to many members of Afghanistan’s Hazara community. All the terrorists were also reportedly killed. However, the Taliban has distanced itself from the attack on the maternity hospital.

The medical facility is run by the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders, according to AFP.

The unconscionable #war #crimes in #Afghanistan today, targeting a maternity hospital and a funeral, must awaken the world to the horrors civilians continue to face. There must be accountability for these grave crimes, and civilians must be protected. https://t.co/Xrjzc1uQDg

— Amnesty International South Asia (@amnestysasia) May 12, 2020

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Photographs from the scene showed soldiers carrying one infant baby to safety, wrapped in a blood-stained blanket. Another image showed a woman, who had been murdered, still holding onto her newborn. A nurse later confirmed to Reuters that the infant had survived and had been moved to an intensive care unit at another hospital.

India has strongly condemned the attack in Afghanistan capital.