Kabul (Web Desk): At least eight civilians were killed and several others were wounded when gunmen attacked a Doctors Without Borders medical clinic in the western part of the Afghan capital of Kabul, officials said on Tuesday.
According to a ministry of interior official, several people were wounded in the attack on Dasht-e-Barchi Hospital and dozens of people were being evacuated.
Some people remained trapped in the hospital and several doctors had leapt to an adjacent building after at least three attackers wearing police uniforms entered, throwing grenades and shooting, government officials said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the Taliban said they were not involved.
The 100-bed government-run facility is supported by Doctors Without Borders, which is also known by its French name Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), said Wahidullah Mayar, a spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health.
Security forces were working to counter the attack and 80 people including women and children had been evacuated, said interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian.
The security forces had shot one attacker but clashes were going on, he said.
Deputy health minister Waheed Majroh said eight people including children had been wounded and taken to other hospitals.
MSF did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It says on its website it operates a maternity clinic at the hospital in one of Kabul’s poorest neighbourhoods.
