25 Dead As Taliban Fend Off Attackers At Kabul's Sardar Mohammed Daud Khan Hospital

Gunmen allegedly from the Islamic State group have attacked the Sardar Mohammed Daud Khan hospital in Kabul, killing at least 25 people and wounding more than 50. The attacks on Afghanistan's biggest military hospital were preceded by two explosions. Senior Taliban commander Mawlawi Hamdullah Mukhlis was among those who lost their lives in the attack.

While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, it fits the pattern of operations carried out in recent months by the Islamic State organisation. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that all the attackers were killed around the entrance area and courtyard. He noted that Taliban special forces were inserted by helicopter to counter the attackers.

This also marks one of the first times that the Taliban have used aircraft captured from the previous government in combat.