Afghanistan nursery attack

This item appears on page 4 of the July 2020 issue.

Gunmen stormed a maternity ward at a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, on May 12, killing at least 24 people, including children and babies, and injuring 15 others. Authorities believe that the maternity ward was specifically targeted by the gunmen, as they had passed through multiple sections of the hospital without attacking anyone before reaching the ward.

Two militant-Islamist groups, the Taliban and Daesh (ISIL), operate in Afghanistan, and both have targeted hospitals in the past. A Taliban spokesperson denied involvement in the attack. There had been no statement from Daesh as of press time.

While the hospital attack was ongoing, a bomber targeted a police funeral in Nangarhar Province, in eastern Afghanistan, killing 32 people. The two attacks were not believed to be related.