Ghani Asks Army to Resume Anti-Taliban Operations After Attacks
Newborns Are Among 37 Killed in Two Attacks in Afghanistan
(Bloomberg) -- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani ordered government forces to resume operations against the Taliban and other insurgent groups after 40 people, including newborn babies, were killed when armed militants opened fire inside a hospital and at a funeral ceremony.
The Taliban denied involvement in Tuesday’s attacks on the hospital in a Shiite neighborhod of capital Kabul and on a funeral ceremony in the eastern province of Nangarhar. The violence cast further doubt on the longevity of the U.S.-Taliban deal that was meant to reduce bloodshed and pave the way for the withdrawal of U.S. troops and end 18 years of war in Afghanistan.
“In order to ensure security for the public areas and to thwart attacks and threats from the Taliban and other terrorist groups, I am ordering Afghan National Security Forces to switch from an active defense mode to an offensive one and to begin operations against the enemies,” Ghani said in a television address several hours after the attacks.
The Afghan military had stopped operations against the Taliban after the U.S. signed a peace deal with the group on Feb. 29. The deal was meant to lead the way for direct negotiations between the Afghan government and militant group, who have repeatedly rebuffed Ghani’s peace calls. Since the signing of the accord violence has surged killing hundreds.
Armed militants in army uniforms attacked the maternity ward of a Kabul hospital, killing 16, including women and infants, Waheedullah Mayar, a spokesman from the country’s health ministry, said over the phone. Another 16 were wounded in that attack, he said. The ward is run with the support of the international aid group Médecins Sans Frontières.
A separate attack on a funeral ceremony in eastern Nangarhar province killed at least 24 people and wounded about 70 others, provincial spokesman Attaullah Khogyani said over the phone on Tuesday. The death toll could rise as the condition of some of the wounded was “quite critical,” he added.
“The United States condemns in the strongest terms the two horrific terrorist attacks in Afghanistan today,” U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in an emailed statement. “During the holy month of Ramadan and amidst the threat of Covid-19, these dual attacks are particularly appalling. We note the Taliban have denied any responsibility and condemned both attacks as heinous.”
On Tuesday, three assailants began shooting inside the maternity ward of the hospital, Tariq Arian, a spokesman from the country’s interior ministry said by phone. All the gunmen were killed after a five-hour-long battle with Afghan forces, Arian added.
Pompeo called on the Taliban and the Afghan government to cooperate to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“As long as there is no sustained reduction in violence and insufficient progress towards a negotiated political settlement, Afghanistan will remain vulnerable to terrorism,” he said.
Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh was less conciliatory, saying in a tweet Wednesday that those who believed the Taliban were naive.
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