Gunmen stormed Kabul University on Monday as it hosted a book fair attended by the Iranian Ambassador to Afghanistan, sparking an hours-long gunbattle, leaving as many as 20 people killed and 40 injured.
Following the incident, Abdullah Abdullah, head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, said in a tweet, “I strongly condemn today’s cowardly terrorist attack on Kabul Uni. Targeting educational institutions is a heinous crime. Students have the right to study in peace and security. I offer my sincere condolences to victims and their families. We will prevail over the forces of darkness.”
The Afghan Interior ministry’s spokesman, Tariq Arian, also said there were three attackers involved in the assault, all of whom were killed in the ensuing firefight. As the sun slowly set over the Afghan capital, there were few other details though the Taliban issued a statement denying they took part in the assault.
The attack came amidst the insurgents holding peace talks with the US-backed government. No group immediately took responsibility for the ongoing attack though the Taliban issued a statement saying they were not involved. However, suspicion immediately fell on the Islamic State group.
Last month, the Islamic State group sent a suicide bomber into an education center in the capital’s Shiite dominated neighborhood of Dasht-e-Barchi, killing 24 students and injuring more than 100. The Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan has declared war on Afghanistan’s minority Shiite Muslims and has staged dozens of attacks since emerging in 2014.
Schools have been targeted for attacks in the past as well. Last year, a bomb outside of the Kabul University campus’ gates killed eight people. In 2016, gunmen attacked the American University in Kabul, killing 13.
WITH AGENCY INPUTS