Newborn babies among dozens killed in Afghanistan attacks

Two babies and 11 mothers and nurses have been killed in a militant attack on a hospital in the Afghan capital. Another 15 people, including a number of children, were injured when several gunmen attacked the Kabul hospital on Tuesday morning, officials said.

Part of the hospital is run by the international medical charity, Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF), and some of those working there are foreigners, the BBC reported.

Meanwhile, in the east, an attack at a police funeral has killed at least 24.

Dozens more were injured in that bomb blast and casualty numbers in both attacks could rise. It is not clear who carried out either attack.

In Kabul, locals heard two blasts, then gunfire. One doctor who fled during the assault, which began at about 10:00 local time (05:30 GMT), told the BBC about 140 people were in the hospital when the gunmen began their attack. Another doctor described to news agency AFP how “total panic” took hold as the attack unfolded.

“The attackers were shooting at anyone in this hospital without any reason,” vendor Ramazan Ali, who saw the attack begin, told news agency Reuters. “It’s a government hospital, and a lot of people bring in their women and children for treatment.

The attackers, who Reuters reported had gained access dressed as police officers, were all killed by security personnel after a battle lasting hours.

Images from the scene of the attack showed soldiers carrying one newborn baby to safety, swaddled in a blood-stained blanket. It is not clear if the infant had been injured.