The Associated Press
A U.S. Special Forces soldier is shown after a fight against six al-Qaida gunmen at the Mir Wais Hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Monday.

Grenades end hospital standoff

ELLEN KNICKMEYER, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Afghan troops backed by U.S. Special Forces wearing "I love New York" buttons lobbed grenades into a hospital Monday, killing six al-Qaida gunmen who had been holed up for two months.

After the assault, the bodies of the pale, thin fighters lay about the floor and under a bed, clothed in sweaters and uniforms.

The attack on the al-Qaida holdouts was ordered after they repeatedly refused to surrender. The wounded Arab fighters had been brought to the Mir Wais Hospital in Kandahar by their comrades shortly before anti-Taliban forces took over the city Dec. 7.

Armed with weapons and explosives, they threatened to blow themselves up if anyone tried to take them prisoner, Afghan authorities said.

American troops could be heard shouting "stand clear!" as heavily armed Afghan fighters tossed explosives into the hospital wing, shattering windows, in a dramatic final attack shortly after noon calls to Islamic prayers echoed over the city.

The crash of heavy gunfire reverberated through the area as troops stormed the building. U.S. and Afghan troops had surrounded the hospital before dawn and fought intermittently with the gunmen through the morning, setting parts of the building on fire.

In Washington, Rear Admiral John Stufflebeem, deputy director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said there were no casualties among U.S. troops. He said several Afghans were wounded but "only one would be considered serious."

Afghan authorities said the assault was ordered before dawn after the al-Qaida fighters refused a surrender ultimatum. The Arabs opened fire when they saw U.S. soldiers approaching.

"The Arabs saw them, and they started firing," said Najabullah, an Afghan commander.

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