ISIS Attack Response On Kabul Military Hospital, Taliban Special Forces Commander Killed

Illustration of the Taliban special forces Battalion Badri 313. (Twitter/@SpoilOfWar)

JAKARTA - A special forces officer and commander of the Taliban's regional corps was killed in an attack on a military hospital in Kabul on Tuesday that killed at least 23 people and injured 50, with initial reports holding Daesh (ISIS-K) responsible for the attack.

The figure who died was referred to as one of the senior Taliban commanders, Hamdullah Mukhlis. He died in response to an attack on the Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan Military Hospital with his men, a source told Sputnik on Wednesday.

"Hamdullah (Mukhlis), the commander of the Kabul corps, was killed in the Daesh attack", the source told Sputnik News as quoted November 3.

Mukhlis is known to be a member of the Haqqani network, as well as an officer in the Taliban's special forces, Battalion 313 Badri.

While citing AFP's France24, Mukhlis was the most senior Taliban figure to be killed since the group's success in capturing Kabul on August 15.

"When received information that Sardar Daud Khan Hospital was attacked, Maulwi Hamdullah (Mukhlis), the commander of the Kabul corps, immediately rushed to the scene," a Taliban media official said.

"We tried to stop him but he laughed. Later we found out he was martyred in a live clash at the hospital," he added.

Illustration of the Taliban special forces Battalion Badri 313. (Twitter/@Badri313Unit1)

The attack began with a suicide bomber detonating his explosives near the entrance of the facility, before gunmen broke into the hospital grounds.

As part of the response, the new rulers of Kabul deployed their special forces to the roof of the building in helicopters belonging to the US-backed Afghan government.

In a statement released on its Telegram channel, ISIS-K said five fighters of the Islamic State group carried out "simultaneous coordinated attacks" on the site.

Meanwhile, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the attacks carried out by ISIS-K could be stopped within 15 minutes, thanks to rapid intervention.

ISIS has claimed four mass casualty attacks since the Taliban takeover on August 15, including a suicide bombing targeting a Shia Muslim mosque.

The military hospital, which treats wounded soldiers from the Taliban and former Afghan security forces, was previously attacked in 2017, when gunmen disguised as medical personnel killed at least 30 people in an hours-long siege.

The 2017 attack was also claimed by the Islamic State group, with the Taliban denying responsibility.