Dozens killed in Afghanistan

Gunmen stormed a maternity hospital in the Afghan capital yesterday, killing at least 14 people -- including newborns and nurses -- as a suicide blast at a funeral in the country's restive east left two dozen mourners dead.

The latest violence comes as Afghanistan grapples with myriad crises, including a rise in militant operations across the country, a surge in coronavirus infections, and a reduction in foreign military support.

Three gunmen held siege the Barchi National Hospital in Kabul for hours after the early-morning attack before security forces killed them in a clearance operation, the interior ministry said.

Heavily armed security forces were seen carrying infants away from the scene -- at least one wrapped in a blood-soaked blanket.

"The fatalities also include mothers and nurses," interior ministry spokesman Tareq Arian said.

Some 15 people were wounded and more than 100 -- including three foreign nationals -- were rescued, he said.

The hospital is located in the west of the city, home to the capital's minority Shia Hazara community -- a frequent target of hardline Sunni militants from the Islamic State group.

The hospital is supported by the humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders (MSF), and a number of foreigners were working at the hospital.

Around an hour after the Kabul assault, a suicide bomber killed at least 24 people at the funeral of a local police commander in eastern Nangarhar province, according to provincial spokesman Ataullah Khogyani.

The attacker detonated explosives in the middle of the ceremony.

Amir Mohammad, who was wounded in the blast, said thousands of people had gathered for the funeral.

The Taliban denied involvement in either attack.

The violence comes just a day after four roadside bombs exploded in a northern district of Kabul, wounding four civilians including a child. Those bombings were later claimed by the Islamic State group, according to the SITE intelligence group.