Gunmen dressed as medics fought security forces for hours in assault on military hospital in Afghan capital

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an attack on a Kabul military hospital by gunmen disguised as doctors who entered the facility and battled security forces for hours. Witnesses inside the hospital said they were caught by surprise as a gunman dressed in a white doctor’s coat took out a concealed AK-47 assault rifle and opened fire, killing at least one patient and one hospital worker. Security forces blocked off the area around the hospital, near a busy traffic intersection, and special forces’ soldiers descended on to the roof of the main building from helicopters. We stand ready to assist Afghan security services.”

The attack came one week after a pair of Taliban suicide bombings targeted Afghan security forces in Kabul, killing at least 16 people. The attack came just a week after dozens of people were killed and wounded in coordinated attacks on a police station and an office of the intelligence service in Kabul.
A suicide bomber and unidentified gunmen dressed as doctors attack a military hospital in Kabul, killing at least 38 people and wounding dozens more. ISIL claims responsibility for the attack.