Print
Close
US blames ISIS branch for Afghanistan hospital attack that killed 2 newborns
By Nick Givas
Published May 14, 2020
The United States blamed radical Islamic militants and not the Taliban on Thursday, for an attack against an Afghan hospital that killed at least 16 people, including two newborns.
U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad condemned ISIS for the attack on Twitter, saying that they oppose any Taliban peace agreement and are hoping to sew seeds of conflict and chaos.
"ISIS-K also opposes a peace agreement between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban, and seeks to encourage sectarian war as in Iraq and Syria," he wrote.
“Rather than falling into the ISIS trap and delay peace or create obstacles, Afghans must come together to crush this menace and pursue a historic peace opportunity. No more excuses. Afghans, and the world, deserve better."
ISIS PANEL IN SYRIA ACTS AS 'JUDGE, JURY AND EXECUTIONER,' REPORT FINDS
Doctors Without Borders was running a 100-bed maternity clinic out of the hospital on the first floor.
At least three armed men dressed as police officers besieged the facility with gunshots and grenades, Reuters reported. All three gunmen were eventually shot dead by security forces.
This news comes amid efforts by the Trump administration to broker a peace deal between the U.S. and the Taliban.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned the attack on Tuesday and called on the Afghan people to rise up in unison to defeat the evil plaguing their country.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"The Afghan people deserve a future free from these egregious acts of evil and must come together to build a united front against the menace of terrorism," he said on Twitter
Pompeo added in a statement, “Any attack on innocents is unforgivable, but to attack infants and women in labor in the sanctuary of a hospital is an act of sheer evil."
Fox News' Danielle Wallace and Caitlin McFall contributed to this report
https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-isis-afghanistan-hospital-attack