Iran condemns terrorist attack in Kabul hospital
TEHRAN - Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman has condemned Tuesday’s terrorist attack on a 400-bed hospital in the Afghan capital Kabul. Saeed Khatibzadeh said the Islamic Republic deplores any act of terror against ordinary people.
He offered sympathies to the families of the victims and prayed to God for the swift recovery of the injured, the Iranian foreign ministry said.
Several explosions in front of Kabul's largest military hospital on Tuesday and subsequent shootings killed dozens of people.
The Daesh terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
A suicide bomber blew himself up near the 400-bed military hospital in Kabul, known as “Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan” near the Ministry of Health. Gunfire was also heard from the blast area.
Bilal Karimi, a Taliban spokesman, told Ariana News that the first blast occurred near the hospital and the second exploded inside the hospital compound. At least 25 people were killed and 50 others were injured in the attack.
Saeed Khosti, spokesman of the Interior Ministry, said one of the explosions occurred at the entrance of the hospital.
According to Khosti, the explosions have caused casualties but the exact details are not known, TOLOnews reported.
A security source told TOLOnews that after the explosions, five gunmen entered the hospital and clashed with Islamic Emirate forces.
According to the source, all the attackers were killed.
Islamic Emirate spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said seven people were killed during the clash.
Daesh has carried out at least three attacks on civilians in Kabul, Kunduz and Kandahar in recent weeks, killing about 200 people and wounding nearly 300 others, according to Fars News.
A senior Taliban commander has been killed in the deadly attack on the military hospital.
Hamdullah Mokhles, the first Taliban commander to enter Afghanistan’s presidential palace after the group's presence in Kabul and became a symbol the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, was killed in the Tuesday attacks.
Mokhles was the first Taliban commander to enter the presidential palace amid the escape of former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and announce the fall of Kabul in an interview with Al-Jazeera.