22 Killed, Most Of Them Students, In Terror Attack At Kabul University

Policemen stand guard at an entrance gate of the Kabul University in Kabul.

Kabul, Afghanistan:

At least 22 individuals have been killed Monday when terrorists stormed certainly one of Afghanistan’s essential universities in a brutal, hours-long assault that noticed college students left in swimming pools of blood of their lecture rooms.

The assault on Kabul University, which got here as violence surges throughout Afghanistan, marked the second time in lower than two weeks that an academic establishment was focused within the capital.

Survivors described horrific scenes following the incident that unfolded round 11:00 am (0530 GMT) when a suicide bomber blew himself up contained in the campus.

Two gunmen then began taking pictures, officers stated, sending a whole lot of scholars fleeing and scrambling over perimeter partitions.

Fraidoon Ahmadi, a 23-year-old scholar, informed AFP he was in school when gunfire broke out on the college.

“We were very scared and we thought it could be the last day of our lives… boys and girls were shouting, praying and crying for help,” Ahmadi stated.

He stated he and different college students have been besieged for greater than two hours earlier than being rescued. No group claimed rapid duty for the assault.

Distressing photos posted on-line confirmed what seemed to be the our bodies of killed college students mendacity by desks and chairs.

“They opened fire … all my classmates were lying in blood, either dead or wounded,” one scholar informed a neighborhood tv channel, including that he escaped by climbing out a window.

The Ministry of Public Health stated no less than 22 individuals have been killed and 22 extra wounded. Officials stated many of the casualties have been college students.

Ghani vows revenge

It was not instantly clear how the attackers acquired their weapons into the college, which has safety checks.

Officials stated an investigation was below approach.

It took Afghan safety forces, supported by US troops, a number of hours to clear the campus and declare the assault over.

Hamid Obaidi, a spokesman for the ministry of upper training, stated the assault began simply as authorities officers have been as a consequence of arrive for the opening of an Iranian e book honest within the campus.

The Taliban stated they weren’t concerned, however Vice President Amrullah Saleh blamed the rebel group and their supporters in Pakistan, at the same time as he acknowledged an intelligence failure.

We “will correct our intelligence failures. But the Talibs, their like minded satanic allies in the next door won’t be ever able to wash their Conscience of this stinking & non justifiable attack on Kbul uni,” Saleh wrote on Twitter.

Afghan authorities routinely accuse Islamabad of backing the Taliban, fees Pakistan denies.

Pakistan’s overseas ministry condemned Monday’s assault what it stated was a “despicable” assault on a seat of studying.

President Ashraf Ghani vowed to take revenge.

“We will take revenge for this senseless attack and for any drop of innocent students’ blood spilled today,” Ghani stated in a message launched by the presidential palace.

“This attack will not remain without response, we will retaliate.” Authorities declared Tuesday as a day of nationwide mourning.

Surging violence

Several training centres have been attacked through the years by extremist teams similar to Islamic State (IS).

Last week no less than 24 individuals, principally college students, have been killed in a suicide assault on an academic centre in western Kabul that was claimed by IS.

In 2018, a suicide bomber killed dozens of individuals, a lot of them youngsters, in entrance of Kabul University in an assault additionally claimed by IS.

NATO in Afghanistan condemned the most recent carnage.

“Afghan children & youth need to feel safe going to school. #NATO stands firmly behind all efforts to stop violence,” NATO envoy Stefano Pontecorvo stated on Twitter.

Violence has surged in current weeks regardless of ongoing peace talks between the Taliban and the federal government that began in Qatar in September.

Zalmay Khalilzad, the US envoy who negotiated a separate cope with the Taliban in February, visited Islamabad on Monday the place he met with the top of the Pakistan navy to debate a “way forward for lasting peace in Afghanistan”, officers stated.

Talks have up to now made little tangible progress.