Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

16 Suspects Appear in Court over Military Hospital Attack

16 Suspects Appear  in Court over Military Hospital Attack

KABUL - At least sixteen people suspected of being involved in the deadly attack on Sardar Daud military hospital in Kabul in March appeared in court on Tuesday, the Afghan Ministry of Defense (MoD) confirmed Tuesday.
Those who were negligent in terms of ensuring security at the hospital were among those who appeared in court, defense ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanish said.
The hearing was however conducted behind closed doors. 
But, the fact finding committee has said that they will not accept the trial unless high level officers who are accused of conspiring over the incident are also prosecuted.
“You should be confident that anyone who committed negligence while on duty will go on trial and will be investigated according to the plan. There are 24 suspects, so far sixteen of them have appeared in court,” said MoD spokesman Mohammad Radmanish.
The hearing comes after a recent announcement by government that it had arrested over 24 individuals in connection with the attack, including some high ranking officers.
But, at Tuesday’s hearing, only sixteen of the 24 suspects appeared in court. No details were disclosed about the court ruling on the suspects.
The attack on the military hospital is one of the most complicated attacks ever against a military installation in the country.
Meanwhile, the report prepared by the fact finding committee has also not  been shared with the public.
“We want to see if they are prosecuting lieutenant generals and officers who were on the list or if they are only prosecuting the lower ranking and less powerful individuals who have no backers,” said head of the senate’s security and defense commission Mohammad Hashim Alokozai..
“If they do not provide the media with information, the people will be unaware of the facts which will damage government’s credibility and increase negative sentiments towards government,” said a member of the access to information commission Ainuddin Bahaduri.
Back in March, a group of militants apparently associated with Daesh disguised themselves as doctors and stormed the heavily-guarded hospital in Kabul killing over 50 people and wounding dozens more.
Later, Afghan defense officials confirmed that some individuals from inside the hospital had helped the insurgents infiltrate the facility. (Tolonews)