Saudi Arabia expressed strong condemnation of two deadly attacks in Kabul and Nangarhar province in Afghanistan on Tuesday. Gunmen disguised as police attacked a hospital in the Afghan capital Kabul on Tuesday, killing 24 people including two newborn babies from a maternity clinic run by the international humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders. In a separate attack the same day, a suicide bomber struck the funeral of a police commander, attended by government officials and a member of parliament, in the eastern province of Nangahar, killing at least 32 people and injuring scores. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed the Kingdom's solidarity with Afghanistan, saying it backs it against extremism, violence, and terrorism. It offered condolences to the families of the victims, as well as the Afghan government and people, wishing a speedy recovery to the wounded, Saudi Press Agency reported. The attack targeting the most vulnerable of civilians, including children just hours old and exhausted new mothers, caused a wave of horror and revulsion across the world. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) took to Twitter to express "shock and revulsion" over the attacks. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, Toby Lanzer, was "outraged" by the attack on the Sad Bistar Hospital, a 100-bed facility, which was full of patients and medical staff when the assault took place. "It beggars belief that such a heinous act could be committed when Afghanistan is being ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic", he said in a statement. "Civilians receiving care in hospitals, health workers, medical infrastructure and aid workers are protected under International Humanitarian Law; violations must be investigated and those behind the attacks brought to justice". The United States denounced in the strongest terms the "two horrific terrorist attacks" in Afghanistan. "In an unconscionable assault, gunmen seized one of Kabul's busiest hospitals, which housed a maternity ward run by Doctors Without Borders. In the hospital, the terrorists took the lives of at least 13 innocent people, including newborn babies, new mothers, and health care workers," the US statement said. The statement said 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." The United Arab Emirates joined the global condemnation of the twin attack in Afghanistan. UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation expressed in a statement its utter denunciation of these criminal acts and rejection of all forms of violence, which aim to undermine security and stability and contravene all religious and human values and principles. "These newborns, among the first voices they heard, on the first day of their lives, was the sound of gunfire ... and among their first experiences, being targeted in a war they and their mothers had no part in," Shaharzad Akbar, the chair of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights commission, tweeted. "Will their lives, like ours, continue to be shaped by war?" Outraged over the attack, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has ordered the Afghan forces to switch from "active defensive" mode to "offensive" mode, and to resume attacks on the Taliban, in a public address on Tuesday night. In a televised message, Ghani said the Taliban have ignored repeated calls for reduced violence and ceasefire. He added that a call for a ceasefire does not mean weakness--it shows a commitment to peace. He once again called on the Taliban to embrace peace. — Agencies
