Afghanistan Times
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By Farhad Naibkhel-KABUL: The Ministry of Defense (MoD) on Wednesday released its primary investigation over the recent terrorist attack on Sardar Dawod Khan—a military hospital, in which several suspects have been detained in the connection.
The MoD said that 24 employees from low ranking to general have been arrested in regard to the attack and currently they are under interrogation.
The ministry furthered five attackers were involved in the incident took place on 8th March, in which 50 people were killed and dozens other wounded. Patients, women, children, visitors and the facility staffers were among those killed and wounded.
“24 suspects, and neglectors including employees from low ranking to general were arrested and are under investigation over hospital attack,” Deputy Minister for Strategic and Intelligence Affairs of MoD, Lieutenant General, Helaludin Helal told newsmen.
Appearing before media, he said that guards, intelligence personals and administration staffers of the hospital were among detained suspects.
He furthered, “it is very early to confirm cooperation has been made with the assailants from inside the hospital, but everything would be cleared once the investigation completed.” Moreover, he rejected any sort of cooperation or involvement of the doctors in the incident.
While confirmed that the attack was plotted outside the country, he totally brushed aside rumors that the attack was being organized inside the facility or it was a preplan.
According to him five attackers were involved in the incident, where at first place one of them blew up his explosive-leaden car in front of the gate, paving ways for four other attackers to storm inside the hospital. The attackers used weapons, hand-grenade and knifes. Regarding identity of the attackers, he said that they were Afghan and foreigners.
He added, “the plate number of the car bomber was fake, but the car possessor and the guards are under investigation at the moment.”
He added that the attackers were also tried to target a meeting of the diagnosticians, but fortunately, they succeeded to escape the hospital.
He assured that hospital investigation has been conducted transparently by professional and skillful personals and the team would continue working to find the fact.
He further went on saying that no Taliban patients had helped the attackers, because rooms where Taliban patients were under medical cure were locked.
“The facility is a largest military hospital in the country, where military and civilian patients are receiving medical treatment,” he said.
He said that on daily basis around 4000 people coming to the hospital including 2000 employees, where in some cases security measures are not properly applied. “Unfortunately the terrorists misused this gap as an opportunity to storm the hospital.”
Meanwhile, Spokesman for the MoD, General Dawlat Waziri, said that terrorists were not succeeded to enter to the ICU ward.
Moreover, he rejected entering of attackers in the hospital before the incident, but said “it is impossible to rebuff cooperation or negligence from being made.”
It is clear that the Kabul hospital attack has caused outrage among Afghans blaming security official for the incident. Soon after the incident the parliament came hard over security organs failure regarding hospital attack, deciding to summon Ministers of Defense, Interior and Head of National Security Director in coming week. The core reason behind security officials summon is to explain lawmakers regarding the attack.
