Lagatar24 Desk
Kabul, Nov.3: Hamdullah Mokhlis, a Taliban military leader in Kabul, was killed when his troops responded to an Islamic State attack on a hospital, according to the statements of officials as told to AFP.
Mokhlis was an officer in the Badri Corps special forces and a member of the hardline Haqqani network. According to sources, Mokhlis is the most senior individual to be assassinated since the Taliban took control of the capital.
Two explosions rocked the Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan military hospital’s gate on Tuesday, followed by heavy gunfire.
The Islamic State, a rival of the Taliban, claimed responsibility for the gun and bomb attack in the heart of the city.
In a statement posted on its Telegram channels, Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) claimed that “five Islamic State group militants carried out simultaneous coordinated attacks” on the large compound.
“The IS insurgents sought to target people, doctors, and hospital patients,” Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid stated, adding that Taliban forces had thwarted the attack in 15 minutes.
Taliban “special forces” were dropped onto the roof of the hospital as part of the response, he added, using one of the helicopters taken from Afghanistan’s former US-backed government.
A suicide bomber detonated his explosives near the facility’s entrance, starting the attack. Gunmen then stormed the hospital grounds and opened fire in the hospital.
