Afghan security personnel arrive at the site where gunmen attacked, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, May 12, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

WASHINGTON / UNITED NATIONS — Afghan President Ashraf Ghani ordered government forces to resume operations against the Taliban and other insurgent groups after 40 people, including newborn babies, were killed when armed militants opened fire inside a hospital and at a funeral ceremony.

In order to ensure security for the public areas and to thwart attacks and threats from the Taliban and other terrorist groups, I am ordering Afghan National Security Forces to switch from an active defense mode to an offensive one and to begin operations against the enemies.

Ashraf Ghani, Afghan President

The Taliban denied involvement in Tuesday’s attacks on the hospital in a Shi'ite neighborhod of capital Kabul and on a funeral ceremony in the eastern province of Nangarhar. The violence cast further doubt on the longevity of the US-Taliban deal that was meant to reduce bloodshed and pave the way for the withdrawal of US troops and end 18 years of war in Afghanistan.

“In order to ensure security for the public areas and to thwart attacks and threats from the Taliban and other terrorist groups, I am ordering Afghan National Security Forces to switch from an active defense mode to an offensive one and to begin operations against the enemies,” Ghani said in a television address several hours after the attacks.

The Afghan military had stopped operations against the Taliban after the US signed a peace deal with the group on Feb 29. The deal was meant to lead the way for direct negotiations between the Afghan government and militant group, who have repeatedly rebuffed Ghani’s peace calls. Since the signing of the accord violence has surged killing hundreds.

Armed militants in army uniforms attacked the maternity ward of a Kabul hospital, killing 16, including women and infants, Waheedullah Mayar, a spokesman from the country’s health ministry, said over the phone. Another 16 were wounded in that attack, he said. The ward is run with the support of the international aid group Médecins Sans Frontières.

ALSO READ: Kabul: Newborns among 16 killed in MSF maternity clinic attack

A separate attack on a funeral ceremony in eastern Nangarhar province killed at least 24 people and wounded about 70 others, provincial spokesman Attaullah Khogyani said over the phone on Tuesday. The death toll could rise as the condition of some of the wounded was “quite critical,” he added.

Islamic State’s regional affiliate operates in Nangarhar and recently has staged high-profile attacks in Kabul, where its leader was arrested on Monday.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday called on the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban to cooperate to bring to justice the perpetrators of attacks.

“The United States condemns in the strongest terms the two horrific terrorist attacks in Afghanistan today,” Pompeo said in an emailed statement. “During the holy month of Ramadan and amidst the threat of COVID-19, these dual attacks are particularly appalling."

“We note the Taliban have denied any responsibility and condemned both attacks as heinous,” Pompeo said. “The Taliban and the Afghan government should cooperate to bring the perpetrators to justice.”

The Taliban and the Afghan government should cooperate to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State, US

“We note the Taliban have denied any responsibility and condemned both attacks as heinous,” Pompeo said. “The Taliban and the Afghan government should cooperate to bring the perpetrators to justice.”

His plea, however, faced major hurdles.

Taliban attacks on Afghan security forces have surged since the US troop pullout deal.

Pompeo put the death toll at 13, including two newborn babies, mothers and health care workers, in the hospital attack. He said the funeral bombing left at least 26 people dead and more than 69 others wounded.

Medical staff attend to an injured man laying on a hospital floor following a suicide attack at a funeral of a local police commander in Nangarhar on May 12, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

Reuters reported at least 16 dead, including two newborn babies, in the hospital attack and at least 24 dead and 68 injured in the funeral bombing.

READ MORE: At least 24 killed as suicide blast rocks Afghan funeral

Pompeo called the hospital attack “an act of sheer evil.” Those who carried out the funeral bombing “are only seeking to tear apart the bonds that hold families and communities together, but they will never succeed,” he said.

Without a sustained reduction in violence and “insufficient progress” towards a negotiated peace agreement, the country “will remain vulnerable to terrorism,” he said.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday condemned the attack on the hospital in Kabul.

"He reiterates that attacks against civilians are unacceptable and that hospitals, medical facilities and personnel have special protection under international humanitarian law. Those who carry out such crimes must be held accountable," according to a statement issued in the United Nations by Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres.

It added that the secretary-general is also following with concern the escalation of violence in the country, including the attacks that have claimed scores of lives in Balkh, Khost, and Nangarhar provinces.