Kabul: An Afghan mother, who volunteered to breastfeed 20 newborn babies who were left without their own mothers or families after a deadly terror attack on a maternity hospital in Kabul on Tuesday, has been hailed by social media as a “symbol of national unity among Afghans.” The attack on the hospital is among the series of deadly attacks conducted by the militants across the country, in which altogether 67 people were killed and 84 others received injuries. 

These attacks prompted President Ashraf Ghani to order the military to turn into offensive and engage in aggressive operations against the Taliban and other militant groups in Afghanistan. "Taliban have rejected our repeated call for a ceasefire, calls for ceasefire don't mean weakness," Ghani said. 

"I once again call on them to embrace peace, which is not only a demand of the government but the nation and international community."

On Tuesday morning, three gunmen stormed into a maternity hospital in the west of Kabul city. The attack lasted for five hours and left 24 mothers and newborn babies dead and 16 wounded. Hours later, in the eastern province of Nangarhar, a suicide attack targeted a funeral ceremony of a local police commander, where 24 people died and another 68  were wounded.

For families and relatives of those who died in the maternity hospital, it was utterly devastating as they looked around in vain for their dear ones. Some families even offered to give DNA samples to see if the charred unclaimed body remaining at the morgue was theirs. Authorities said they were really concerned about the status of the newborns whose families are yet to be tracked. At least 20 infants are still under medical observation. The newborn babies were shifted to Ataturk Hospital in Kabul soon after the attack at the MSF hospital, which is supported by international aid group Doctors without Borders.

But amidst this gloom and doom, came the news of an Afghan woman who came forward to breastfeed the newborns, lying swaddled in blankets in the hospital crib, unattended by their families. The Afghan woman, later identified as Feroza Younis Omar, went to breastfeed her own 14-month-old child, hours after the attack. Moved by the other crying and hungry babies, she volunteered to breastfeed them too.

Omar, who is working at the Ministry of Economy, called on others to do the same. “All of us have been damaged by criminals who are destroying humanity in Afghanistan. I am one of those,” Omar was quoted as saying by Afghan media outlet TOLOnews.

Her “selfless”, “humane” act inspired a number of women from different parts of Kabul to volunteer to breastfeed these newborn babies.

As news about her went viral, many took to social media to hail her. Soon Afghanis started tweeting about Omar underneath a hashtag bearing her title. Some even hailed her as a “true hero” and as a “symbol of national unity among Afghans.”

“I am ready to adopt one of the babies who have lost their mother or whose families do not have the financial ability to raise them,” said Aziza Kermani, a Kabul resident.

“I came here to this hospital to help these children,” said Fatima, another Kabul resident.

Some mothers who survived have traumatic memories. One of them, Khadija, said she had to wait to hug her newborn baby for the first time because the attack happened just hours after he was born. She said the intensive care ward was filled with smoke and bullets, but she and her child survived and were reunited after the attack.

“Suddenly, there was a heavy battle. I was hiding under a table,” said Khadija.

“When the alarm rang, all doctors went into one room. After that, the attackers entered the building and detonated bombs near the windows,” said another mother who survived.

One woman gave birth as the shooting was taking place, the aid group said in a statement Wednesday. It said the woman and her baby were doing well.

“We mourn the loss of several patients, and we have indications that at least one colleague was also killed,” Doctors Without Borders said in its statement.

In his televised speech hours after the attack, Ghani said: “I strongly condemn recent attacks in a hospital in Kabul and Nangarhar province which killed a number of innocent people including women and children."

"Taliban have rejected our repeated call for a ceasefire, calls for ceasefire don't mean weakness," Ghani said. The US and Taliban signed a historic agreement in late February aimed at bringing about the withdrawal of American forces - which President Donald Trump wants before the US elections in November - and a permanent ceasefire, but its implementation has been seriously doubted as Taliban have been known to renege on their words and were unlikely to give up their ideological violence and their fundamentalist stance towards women.