Gunfire Exchanged in Kandahar Hospital

Afghan tribal forces traded fire with Al Qaeda fighters in a hospital in Kandahar in a bid to subdue the Arab gunmen, who have been convalescing there for weeks, an official said.

The fighters, believed to be linked to Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda terrorist network, had said they would kill themselves if anyone tried to take them from Mirwais Hospital, where they were held in a second-floor jail section once used by the Taliban for political prisoners.

Sporadic fire was reported inside the hospital late Sunday and Monday.