19 killed, 50 injured after twin blasts rock Kabul military hospital

Kabul:  At least 19 people were killed while 50 citizens sustained injuries after two blasts followed by the sound of gunfire hit Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan military hospital in Kabul on Tuesday.

As per reports, the explosions took place, one at the entrance of hospital and one near it—apparently targeting civilians.

Photographs shared by residents showed a plume of smoke over the area of the blasts.

No comment was available from Taliban officials and there was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The blasts add to a growing list of attacks and killings since the Taliban took over in August.

Islamic State, which has carried out a series of attacks on mosques and other targets since the Taliban's seizure of Kabul in August, mounted a complex attack on the 400-bed hospital in 2017, killing more than 30 people.

A health worker at the hospital, who managed to escape the site, said he heard a large explosion followed by a couple of minutes of gunfire.

About ten minutes later, there was a second, larger explosion, the worker added.

He further added that it was unclear whether the blasts and the gunfire were inside the sprawling hospital complex—the largest military hospital in Afghanistan. 

Meanwhile, Taliban Special Forces have been sent to the scene.