More than 30 people are dead and dozens more are wounded following an attack on a military hospital in the Afghan capital Kabul, a defence ministry official says.
Officials, who had earlier said at least three people had been killed in Wednesday's attack, revised the figure after security forces carried out checks of the buildings in the hospital complex.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack which saw gunmen dressed as doctors battle Afghan security forces for several hours.
Via its news agency Amaq on Wednesday, the group said: "Islamic State commandos attack the military hospital in Kabul."
The statement came as a Taliban spokesman said the movement had "no connection" with the assault.
The assault began when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the back of the 400-bed Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan hospital and three attackers with automatic weapons and hand grenades entered the complex, a security official said.
The gunmen, dressed as medical personnel, had taken position on upper floors of the hospital and engaged special forces.
The area around the hospital was blocked off and special forces soldiers descended onto the roof of the main building from helicopters.
As fighting went on, a second explosion was heard from inside.
Defence ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said one attacker had been killed and another two were holding out, while one soldier had been killed and three wounded.
The raid on the hospital, across the road from the heavily fortified US embassy, underlines warnings that high-profile attacks in Kabul are likely to escalate as the Taliban steps up its insurgency.
President Ashraf Ghani said the attack "trampled on all human values".
"In all religions, a hospital is regarded as an immune site and attacking it is attacking the whole of Afghanistan," he said.
As the fighting went on, some patients climbed out of the building and could be seen sheltering on window ledges.
