TRIPwire, 19 September 2019

On 19 September 2019, a vehicle-borne IED (VBIED) detonated in the southern town of Qalat next to a hospital entrance. The explosion killed 20 people, injured at least 95 others, destroyed most of the hospital and multiple ambulances, and seriously damaged an adjacent mosque. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the VBIED was intended to target a nearby office and training base of the National Directorate of Security (NDS). The NDS base sustained some damage from the explosion, but there are no reports of security personnel among the casualties.