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Afghan President Ashraf Ghani ordered the military to go into an “offensive mode” against the Taliban and other armed groups after dozens of people, including newborns, were killed in two separate attacks in the war-torn nation.
“I am ordering Afghan security forces to switch from an active defense mode to an offensive one and to begin operations against enemies,” Ghani said in a televised speech on Tuesday.
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At least 24 people died, including newborns and nurses, when gunmen stormed a maternity hospital in the capital Kabul early Tuesday, authorities said.
Soon after, the armed group ISIL (ISIS) claimed that it carried out a suicide explosion at a funeral in the restless eastern part of the country, which left two dozen people dead.
“Today, we are witnessing terrorist attacks by the Taliban and Daesh groups at a hospital in Kabul and a funeral in Nangarhar, as well as other attacks in the country,” said Ghani, using the Arabic acronym for ISIL.
The agreement between the United States and the Taliban
The Taliban, who signed a peace agreement with the United States in February, denied involvement in the attacks.
Ghani’s move came months after Afghan forces pledged to react only defensively to Taliban attacks since the deal was signed in Qatar’s capital Doha.
The Afghan president said that offensive operations were needed to “defend the country, safeguard our compatriots and infrastructure, and to repel attacks and threats from the Taliban and all other terrorist groups.”
In a statement on Wednesday, the Taliban warned that it was “fully prepared” to counter any offensive by Afghan forces.
“From now on, the responsibility for further escalation of violence and its ramifications will fall squarely on the shoulders of the Kabul administration,” he said.
People carry injured victims of a suicide bomb attack at a funeral to a hospital in Jalalabad [Ghulamullah Habibi/EPA-EFE]
National security adviser Hamdullah Mohib said on Twitter: “It seems unhelpful to continue to involve the Taliban in the peace talks.”
The latest killings raise new questions about the fate of an expected peace process that falters as Afghanistan faces a public health crisis due to the coronavirus.
The Taliban have largely refrained from launching major attacks on Afghan cities and US interests since the February deal was intended to pave the way for peace talks with the Kabul government.
But so-called intra-Afghan talks hit a wall when a prisoner swap, a key part of the Doha deal, was delayed as the Ghani administration refused to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners at once.
So far, the Afghan government has released almost 1,000 Taliban prisoners, while around 100 government prisoners have been released by the Afghan armed group.
The deal will also cause all US and foreign forces to leave Afghanistan in the coming year. Thousands of US soldiers have already withdrawn, while another 8,600 are expected in a few months.
‘Big blow’ to the peace process
In a statement, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned “the two horrible terrorist attacks” in the strongest terms, noting that the Taliban had denied responsibility and said the lack of a peace agreement left the country vulnerable to such attacks.
“The Taliban and the Afghan government should cooperate to bring those responsible to justice,” said Pompeo.
The violence came just a day after four bombs exploded on the road in a northern Kabul district, injuring four civilians, including a boy. Those attacks were later claimed by the ISIL group.
Victoria Fontan, a professor of peace studies at the American University of Afghanistan, said the latest violence was “a great blow to the peace agreement.”
“It again shows that the Taliban cannot deliver on their promises, so I would say that today marks a milestone towards the disintegration of the agreement unless all sides take immediate drastic action, especially the Taliban,” he told Al Jazeera.
Mothers, newborn babies killed
Tuesday’s first attack saw gunmen storm Barchi National Hospital as parents brought babies and children to appointments.
The death toll rose to at least 24 people from 16 on Wednesday, Deputy Health Minister Waheed Majroh said, with 16 others injured.
The three attackers were eventually killed in a lengthy clean-up operation. Strongly armed security forces were seen carrying babies, at least one wrapped in a blood-soaked blanket.
“The deaths also include mothers and nurses,” said Interior Ministry spokesman Tareq Arian.
More than 100, including three foreign citizens, were rescued, he said.
One of the wounded, Jamila, said he had taken a grandson to the hospital for vaccination.
“We were outside the hospital. I wanted to get in when I was shot, and one of my grandchildren was killed,” said Jamila, who gave only one name.
The hospital is in a neighborhood that houses the Hazara Shiite minority community in Kabul, a frequent target of ISIL fighters.
Afghan security officer carries baby after gunmen attacked a maternity hospital in Kabul [Rahmat Gul/AP]
The hospital is supported by the humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders (Doctors Without Borders, or MSF), and several foreigners work there.
“It is believed that such an egregious act could be committed when Afghanistan is being devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said UN humanitarian coordinator Toby Lanzer.
About an hour later, a suicide bomber killed at least 24 people at the funeral of a local police commander in eastern Nangarhar province, provincial spokesman Ataullah Khogyani said.
The attacker detonated explosives in the middle of the ceremony.
“We were preparing [to stand in line for the funeral] when I heard a big bang and then I saw hundreds of people on the ground, “said Zabit Amir, a mourner at the funeral, others said thousands attended.
“I didn’t even know who was dead or alive there.”
