On Tuesday, a Taliban security spokesman said that two blasts followed by gunfire hit Afghanistan's largest military hospital in Kabul, killing at least 15 people and injuring 34 others (Nov 2).
The explosions occurred near the 400-bed Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan hospital entrance in central Kabul, and security troops were dispatched to the scene, according to Interior Ministry spokesman Qari Saeed Khosty.
There was no official confirmation of the number of casualties. Still, a Taliban security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said at least 15 people were killed, and 34 others were injured.
Emergency, an Italian assistance organization that manages a trauma center about 3 kilometers from the blast site, said nine people had been injured so far.
Residents uploaded photos of a column of smoke rising from the blast site near the former diplomatic zone in the city's Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood, and witnesses reported at least two helicopters were circling overhead.
There was no immediate admission of guilt. According to witnesses, a handful of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters entered the hospital and clashed with security personnel, according to the official Bakhtar news agency.
The bombings add to a growing list of attacks and fatalities since the Taliban overthrew the previous Western-backed administration in August, casting doubt on the Taliban's claim to have brought stability to Afghanistan after decades of war.
A hospital employee who managed to flee described hearing a big explosion followed by a few minutes of gunshots. He reported a second, more substantial explosion occurred about ten minutes later.
It was unclear whether the explosions and gunshots occurred within the huge hospital complex, he said.
Since the Taliban took control of Kabul in August, ISIS has carried out a series of attacks on mosques and other targets, including a complicated attack on the hospital in 2017, which killed more than 30 people.
Outside of Afghanistan, the group's activities had raised concerns that the country could become a refuge for terrorist groups, as it did when an Al-Qaeda group attacked the US in 2001.
The worry has been exacerbated by a deepening economic crisis that has put millions of people on the verge of starvation as winter approaches.
Following the Taliban victory, international funding was abruptly withdrawn, putting Afghanistan's frail economy on the verge of collapse, just as a severe drought threatened millions with starvation.
