As the world quietens down and everyone is asked to stay safe in their own home, it’s important to realize that some places of “safety” like homes (or hospitals in this case) might be a place of fear and suffering. Afghanistan is a country that has been torn apart by war since 2001 when the US launched air strikes following the 9/11 attack and continues to endure terrorist attacks frequently. Living during a global pandemic has not slowed these attacks, and here we discuss the occurrences on Tuesday the 12th of March, when a maternity clinic in Kabul was attacked by gunmen and a suicide bomber killed at least 24 people at a funeral.

The reactions worldwide were of horror and grief as the attacks were widely condemned by countries and Human Rights Groups. Shaharzad Akbar, the chair of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights commission, tweeted: “These newborns, among the first voices they heard, on their first day of their lives, was the sounds of gunfire, the smell of burn and smoke, and among their first experiences being targeted in a war they and their mothers had no part in. Will their lives, like ours, continue to be shaped by war?”. As well as the various messages and tweets written by human rights activists, the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo also spoke up, claiming that: “Any attack on innocents is unforgiveable, but to attack infants and women in labour... is an act of sheer evil.” He also commented on the tragedy in Nangarhar and stated that "terrorists who attack mourners lining up for prayer at a funeral are only seeking to tear apart the bonds that hold families and communities together, but they will never succeed." It was a somber day for Afghanistan as they mourned mothers and newborn babies in one city and those already in mourning for their loved one.

The descriptions provided by the BBC of the attack on the hospital stated that “locals describe hearing two blasts then gunfire at the start of the attack at about 10:00 (05:30 GMT) on Tuesday. About 140 people were in the hospital at the time” and that the “maternity ward in the hospital is run by the international medical charity Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) and some of those working there were foreigners.” From the start of the gunfire, chaos arose, and total panic took over the hospital. Photographs seen on the news show soldiers carrying newborn babies wrapped in blood-stained blankets to try and minimize the casualties. Meanwhile at the funeral, the situation was not any better, as The Guardian described, “The explosion at about 11am killed one member of the council, Lala Khan. His father and brothers were among at least 68 injured. The scale of the casualties meant the death toll could rise; officials warned.” And that “The bomb devastated family groups who were mourning together. Three of my nephews and one of my brothers were martyred, he was standing on my left; his name was Ismael. There was a rain of dead bodies. 

So, what is being done to end the suffering in Afghanistan and bring peace to a country ravaged by war? According to The Guardian, “The Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, in response ordered a resumption of a full offensive against the Taliban and other militant groups, ending a period of reduced military activity ahead of US-brokered peace talks that had been expected to start this year.” In February, a troop withdrawal agreement was signed between the US and the Taliban and it aimed at ending more than 18 years of war since the 9/11 attacks on the US. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict and the future looks bleak at the moment, if the country continues to tolerate conflict.