This archive report was first published on 15 May 2020.
On May 12, 2020, a maternity unit in Kabul, Afghanistan, was attacked by terrorists, leaving 24 people dead, including mothers and newborn babies.
A heroic mother, Feroza Younis Omar, has stepped forward to help the 20 newborn babies left without their mothers. She is feeding them at the hospital, where she works at the Economic Ministry.
Speaking to reporters, Feroza said, “All of us have been damaged by criminals who are destroying humanity in Afghanistan. I am one of those.”
Three gunmen, dressed as police officers, stormed the maternity hospital, throwing grenades and opening fire on hospital workers, mothers, and newborn babies.
Khadija, a survivor of the attack, revealed that she had been forced to wait to hug her newborn son for the first time as the armed group stormed the unit just hours after she gave birth.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but President Ashraf Ghani has blamed the Taliban and asked the military to step up operations against the group.
However, the United States has blamed Islamic State militants for the gruesome hospital attack that killed two newborn babies.
Following the attack, at least 20 newborns were left without caretakers and were transferred to the Ataturk Hospital in Kabul.
The hospital's head doctor, Jannat Gul Askarzada, said, “Twenty babies have been brought to Ataturk Hospital. One of them was sent to the children’s health hospital for orthopedic treatment.”
Many people have praised Feroza's efforts on social media, with a hashtag bearing her name going viral.
