Blast near Kabul hospital kills 3, wounds 16, medics say

KABUL, Afghanistan —  Six attackers set off an explosion at the entrance of a military hospital in the Afghan capital Tuesday and tried to enter the facility, but were eventually pushed back by Taliban guards, an official with the Taliban-run Defense Ministry said.

At least three people were killed and 16 were wounded in the attack on the Sardar Mohammad Dawood Khan hospital in Kabul’s 10th district, health officials said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, one of the most brazen yet in Kabul since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in a swift military campaign in August. Previous attacks were claimed by Islamic State militants, an enemy of the Taliban.

Hibatullah Jamal, the Taliban official from the Defense Ministry, said two of the six attackers were captured. He did not say how many people were killed or wounded.

“There are casualties among both our personnel and civilians, but immediately the toll is not clear,” he said.

He said Taliban fighters were among those killed, but that most of the casualties were civilians. The Taliban has regained control of the hospital, he added.

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Residents nearby reported two explosions in the area near the hospital, along with the sound of gunfire.

Sayed Abdullah Ahmadi, the director of the nearby Wazir Akbar Khan hospital, said his facility had received three dead bodies and seven people who were injured in the blast.

Another nine wounded were taken to the Afghanistan Emergency Hospital.

In recent weeks, Islamic State has carried out a series of bombing and shooting attacks. Islamic State is a rival of the Taliban, and has stepped up attacks since the Taliban took complete control of Afghanistan in August.