Gunmen attacked Kabul University's campus on Monday, killing at least 22 people including students and trading fire with security forces, an Afghan government official and witnesses said.
At least 22 people were killed and 22 other wounded when gunmen stormed Kabul University in a brutal, hours-long assault that saw students left in pools of blood in their classrooms.
The attack in Afghanistan’s capital on Monday, claimed by the the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL, ISIS) group, came as violence surged across the country.It was also the second time in less than two weeks that an educational institution was targeted in the capital.
On Tuesday, the country’s first Vice President Amrullah Saleh pointed finger of blame on the Taliban, which rejected his claims.
Saleh told local media that there are many evidences to prove his claim, but Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said it was an attempt by Saleh to defame the armed group, which signed an agreement with the US in February.
Survivors described horrific scenes following the incident that unfolded around 11am (0530 GMT) when a suicide bomber blew himself up inside the campus. Two gunmen then started shooting, officials said, sending hundreds of students fleeing and scrambling over perimeter walls.
The attackers were targeting students and fired on them as they fled in the Afghan capital, one witness said.
“They were shooting at every student they saw,” Fathullah Moradi told media, saying he had managed to escape through one of the university's gates with a group of friends.The attack took place as the varsity was hosting a book fair attended by the Iranian ambassador to Afghanistan.The Taliban said their fighters were not involved in the assault. No other group immediately claimed responsibility.
Witnesses said the attack followed an explosion in the area.
The attack ended after several hours with security forces killing three of the attackers, the interior ministry spokesperson said.
While Afghan officials declined to discuss the bookfair, Iran’s semiofficial ISNA news agency reported on Sunday that Iranian Ambassador Bahador Aminian and cultural attaché Mojtaba Noroozi were scheduled to inaugurate the fair, which would host some 40 Iranian publishers. Iranian state television reported the attack occurred, but did not offer information on its officials.
Iranian diplomats have been targeted previously by attacks in the country and nearly sparked a war between the two countries. In 1998, Iran held the Taliban responsible for the deaths of nine Iranian diplomats who were working in its consulate in northern Afghanistan and sent reinforcements to the 950-kilometre-long border that Iran and Afghanistan share.
Nato Senior Civilian Representative to Afghanistan Stefano Pontecorvo condemned the attack.
“This is the second attack on educational institutions in Kabul in ten days. Afghan children and youth need to feel safe going to school,” he said in a statement.
An attack late last month on an education centre in Kabul killed 24 people, mostly students.
Violence has plagued Afghanistan while government and Taliban negotiators have been meeting in Qatar to try to broker a peace deal and as the United States brings home its troops.
Pakistan condemns 'mindless attack'
Meanwhile, the Foreign Office (FO) condemned the "mindless attack" on the varsity. "This act of terrorism is particularly despicable as it targeted an institution of learning," the FO said in a statement.
Masooma Jafari, deputy spokeswoman for the health ministry, told AFP four people had been taken to hospital but casualties could increase.
Students of the Kabul University escaped a compound, with many climbing the boundary walls, after at least three assailants stormed the varsity, Tolo News said, citing sources, with the attack coming as several senior government officials were expected to attend the opening of an Iranian book fair.
Authorities have reached the attack scene, cordoning off the area and blocking all roads towards the university.
Eyewitnesses said teachers and students have exited the compound.
'A burst of gunfire'
"Gunshots are being heard from inside the university," Hamid Obaidi, spokesperson for the ministry of higher education, told AFP, adding that the students were being evacuated from the building, he said.
The students who witnessed the attack spoke of chaos and confusion as gunfire erupted. "We were studying inside our classrooms when suddenly we heard a burst of gunfire inside the university," said Fraidoon Ahmadi, 23.
"Some university students have fled... it is chaotic and students are terrified," he added.
The ministry of interior confirmed gunshots were heard at the university and that police had been deployed.
'Enemies of education'
"The enemies of Afghanistan, the enemies of education... have entered Kabul University," Tariq Arian, a spokesperson for the ministry of interior, told reporters. "The security forces are in the area trying to control the situation.
"They are advancing carefully to prevent any harm to the students," Arian added.
A member of Afghanistan’s Parliament, Mariam Sulaimankhel, shared a video from the scene, terming the incident "a disgusting terrorist attack" and asking why the attacks "want to discourage the younger generation from educating themselves?"
In recent years, several education centres have come under attack from extremist groups such as Daesh. Last week at least 24 people — mostly students — were killed in a suicide attack on an educational centre in western Kabul district that was claimed by the terrorist group.
On October 27, five Afghan security officers were killed and 33 people wounded following an hours-long attack on an Afghan police special forces base involving car bombs and a firefight.
Violence amid Afghan peace talks
Three suicide bombers detonated their explosives-loaded vehicles targeting the base in Khost, the city's police chief Ghulam Daud Tarakhil told AFP, before other assailants tried to storm the compound.
A fierce firefight that lasted for almost nine hours between the militants and security forces ended with the killing of seven other militants, Tarakhil said.
Violence has raged across Afghanistan in recent weeks even as the Taliban and Afghan government remain engaged in peace talks to end the country's long-running conflict.
In 2018, a suicide bomber had killed dozens of people, many of them teenagers, in front of Kabul university in an attack also claimed by Daesh.
