Alalam - Asia
Gunmen attacked the Sardar Daud Khan Hospital near the US Embassy in Kabul on Wednesday. Disguised as medical personnel, they detonated explosives at the back of the hospital before entering it.
Security forces have surrounded the hospital, where the assailants are said to have taken positions on the third and fourth floors.
“Our forces are there and there is heavy fighting,” said Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri. He said there was no immediate word on casualties.
But Tolo News television also said that at least 13 people have been injured in the attack.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but Taliban militants are highly suspected. Every year in the run-up to and during the spring, they step up assaults on Afghan and foreign targets as part of a special offensive.
Last week, 16 people were killed in simultaneous Taliban attacks on two security compounds in Kabul.
Especially intense fighting is expected between the government and the Taliban this spring as several recent attempts at negotiating peace between the two have failed.