{"id":300247,"date":"2017-03-08T18:02:59","date_gmt":"2017-03-08T18:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=300247"},"modified":"2017-03-08T18:02:59","modified_gmt":"2017-03-08T18:02:59","slug":"afghanistan-is-gunmen-dressed-as-medics-kill-30-at-kabul-military-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/03\/afghanistan-is-gunmen-dressed-as-medics-kill-30-at-kabul-military-hospital\/","title":{"rendered":"Afghanistan: IS gunmen dressed as medics kill 30 at Kabul military hospital"},"content":{"rendered":"
More than 30 people have been killed after attackers dressed as doctors stormed the largest military hospital in Kabul, Afghan officials say.<\/p>\n
Militants armed with guns and grenades gained entry after one detonated explosives at a hospital gate and then opened fire on staff and patients.<\/p>\n
Commandos who landed on the Sardar Daud hospital roof killed all four attackers after several hours of fighting.<\/p>\n
The so-called Islamic State (IS) group has claimed the attack.<\/p>\n
The Taliban has denied any involvement.<\/p>\n
More than 50 people were also wounded, the defence ministry said.<\/p>\n
Stuck between IS and the Taliban<\/strong><\/p>\n President Ashraf Ghani said the attack at the 400-bed hospital “trampled all human values”.<\/p>\n “In all religions, a hospital is regarded as an immune site and attacking it is attacking the whole of Afghanistan,” he said.<\/p>\n The attack began at 09:00 local time (04:30 GMT). One hospital staff member who was able to get out saw an attacker “wearing a white coat holding a Kalashnikov and opening fire on everyone, including the guards, patients and doctors”.<\/p>\n One employee wrote on Facebook: “Attackers are inside the hospital. Pray for us.”<\/p>\n Change of tactic: Analysis by Inayatulhaq Yasini, BBC Afghan<\/strong><\/p>\n The hospital attack marks a change in approach by so-called Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan – it’s the first time they have engaged directly with security forces in the capital.<\/p>\n Previously they have targeted civilian gatherings, mainly of Shia Muslims, as well as causing carnage at the Supreme Court last month.<\/p>\n But at the hospital they used an approach more commonly associated with the Taliban – blowing the gates open to allow gunmen to enter. This suggests they now have the resources and the military training to expand their attacks.<\/p>\n If that’s the case, the security forces could face more such assaults in the coming months.<\/p>\n In the two years since it announced its presence in Afghanistan, IS has mainly engaged with Afghan forces – and more powerful, rival Taliban fighters – in the east, near the Pakistan border. It has failed so far to widen its base in the country – one reason, observers suggest, it may now be mounting more headline-grabbing attacks.<\/p>\n The government claims it has rooted out IS militants from a number of bases in the east – but has yet to dislodge them from mountainous areas they control.<\/p>\n TV pictures showed people hiding from the gunmen on ledges outside windows on upper floors of the building.<\/p>\n More than six hours after the attack began, interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi tweeted that special forces had ended their operation and all the attackers were dead.<\/p>\n The IS-affiliated Amaq news agency shared two images via the Telegram messaging app that appeared to show one of the militants taking part in the assault and a number of dead bodies.<\/p>\n Afghanistan’s de-facto deputy leader Abdullah Abdullah also condemned the attack on Twitter and vowed to “avenge the blood of our people”.<\/p>\n