Helmand: ‘Ariana Hospital bombed based on wrong coordinates’

KABUL (Pajhwok): Some sources say an airstrike that targeted a private hospital in Lashkargah, capital of southern Helmand province three days ago, was carried out based on wrong coordinates.

According to reports, one person was killed and two others wounded when Ariana Afghan Hospital, a private hospital in Lashkargah city, was hit in an airstrike last Saturday.

However, some sources now say that one person was killed and four others injured in that incident.

Dr. Mohammad Din Nariwal, head of the hospital, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the 20-bed health facility was one of the most equipped in Lashkargah city. He said that the hospital is located in Biton area of the city.

Just a day after clashes intensified in parts of Lashkargah, officials of the hospital decided to grant five days leave to all personnel, he said.

He said that only a few personnel on duty and two patients, a child and a man, who received surgery, stayed in the hospital along with their attendants.

Nariwal said that Afghan security forces conducted an airstrike on the hospital based on wrong coordinates around 10am on Saturday. He said that Afghan forces thought there were militants in the hospital.

Taliban were hiding in Bust Hospital which is located 600 meters away from Ariana Afghan Hospital, but Afghan forces bombed Ariana Afghan Hospital, he added.

He said that the attendant of the child who received surgery was killed in the incident and four other people injured. The injured people include two nurses, an operated patient and his attendant, Nariwal added.

Nariwal said that the hospital was mostly destroyed, its equipment got fire and some other tools were looted by locals after the incident. He said that he suffered a total of $800,000 in loss when his hospital bombarded.

“We provided many services to people in Helmand, but some people do not allow us to work, the government also does not let us, the government bombarded everything of us,” he said.

A local source said that he also heard from local people that the Taliban were hiding in Bust Hospital, but the government bombarded Ariana Afghan Hospital based on wrong coordinates.

But Pajhwok Afghan News has received a photograph from the site showing that some Taliban fighting standing closed to Aryana Afghan Hospital

Similarly, another source wishing not to be named said: “Surrounding areas of Aryana Hospital are captured by the Taliban as far as I know. There was no area that the Taliban did not capture. The Taliban attacked security forces from the same area but when the airstrike happened the Taliban already left the area.”

Another source 300 metre from the hospital said: “Taliban were present in the hospital and surrounding area when the attack happen the Taliban take out their injured from the hospital and nearby area.”

Pajhwok contacted Helmand governor about the incident, but he refused to comment on the regard. Pajhwok also shared the issue with the Ministry of Defense through Whatsapp, but the ministry was yet to respond.

This comes as Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) in a report today said that 130 bridges and culverts, 13 schools and three clinics had been destroyed in conflicts in the first half of 2021.

The commission asked conflict sides to pay care to people’s lives and public facilities.

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