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Sentryduty will be able to update on Afghanistan during this recent conflagration...

During the Afghanistan deployment (CDN) medics were certainly armed, typically with a basic C7A2 rifle, however there may have been exceptions as to the exact hardware they might have, perhaps a carbine in some circumstances. During peacetime and training at home they usually had a Browning pistol, however overseas I know they had a rifle, and I would have to look at my photos and see if our "DOCS" (slang for a medic) still maintained the pistol or not.

The Geneva Convention is an often cited and often misunderstood agreement in modern times, and (as an armchair war lawyer/participant) it mainly only applies to those who have signed when formally fighting another signatory. However, we always conducted ourselves as though we were fighting another signatory group, however the insurgents did what ever they felt like. Our Medics were afforded no special protections from the enemy, and as far as I seen, the insurgents never wore a uniform, nor did they delineate their field care givers or other non-combatants. These are important aspects of the Conventions of course.

Enemy occupies a church and fires from it, the church's protection is lost.

On paper yes, in reality, a lot of water has to go under a lot of bridges before the authorization to destroy a church (mosque), school, orphanage, hospital, or any other protected target despite the obvious fortification and use as an enemy stronghold.

Battle of Panjwaii - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Quote below are from:
The Battle For Panjwai: A Soldier’s Story - Legion Magazine

For the afternoon task, we moved out and got into position quickly. We took notes and really got to memorize the area. There was nothing going on, but we noticed that the glassless windows of the school had been boarded up since we had been there last.

The Afghan police and the first group of troops reached the school at 1203 hours. They cleared the school and confirmed it was empty. Then the enemy opened up. Initially there was RPG fire to the south, aimed at 33C. Then the school was enveloped by dust and smoke from over 30 RPGs. I recall seeing a wall of smoke and dust from explosions. In front of it I remember seeing Afghan police running towards safety, and through it you could make out Canadians running forward towards the enemy.

The enemy was firing from all around us, 270 degrees around the school. And there were a lot of them. I personally counted over 60 RPGs in the first five minutes. Then the enemy fighters entered the back rooms of the school. There was some violent close fighting going on with the troops in the school until they withdrew to the school’s outbuilding. In this building were no more than 15 Canadian soldiers.

At this time the CO was on the radio asking for artillery. All I heard was that it had been denied by higher up. I was a bit stunned at this, but thought nothing more of it.

We picked up enemy talk of hitting us again with four waves of a hundred men each. This is not nice to hear when ammo is running low. It was 1545 hours. Finally, we had authorization for artillery, and it was certainly welcomed. Incredibly, as the rounds were flying through the air from Patrol Base Wilson, an American pilot in his B-1 bomber flew only a few hundred feet above the ground—twice—as a show of force against the enemy. He had no bombs, but had heard the fight on the all-informed net, and wanted to help. It was beautiful, and scared the hell out of the Taliban.