Afghanistan security forces have ended a six-hour battle with gunmen at Kabul University after an attack that targeted many students. The assault took place during already strained peace talks with Taliban militants.
Image: Rahmat Gul/AP Photo/picture alliance
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Gunmen stormed Kabul University on Monday, killing 22 people and leaving a further 22 injured before security forces were able to shoot the attackers dead, according to the Afghan Interior Ministry.
A spokesman for police in the Afghan capital told the AFP news agency that most of those killed were students.
A witness confirmed that students were targeted during the attack. "They were shooting at every student they saw ... They even shot at the students who were running away," Fathullah Moradi told Reuters.
The radical Islamist group "Islamic State" claimed responsibility for the attack over Telegram, contradicting the death toll given by the Afghan authorities and claiming to have "killed and injured 80 Afghan judges, investigators and security personnel" who had taken part in a training program.
Monday's attack began when three gunmen entered the campus dressed in military garb and began to fire upon security staff and students alike.
One of the assailants set off his explosives at the beginning of the attack. Security forces exchanged fire for six hours with the other two before killing them and ending the siege.
Afghan police surrounded the sprawling university campusImage: Omar Sobhani/REUTERS
As the attackers entered through the compound gate, hundreds of students and staff were forced to escape over the walls. Hundreds more were later rescued, according to authorities and witness reports.
Fasil Amin, the vice chancellor of the university, told British broadcaster BBC that 8,000 students were on campus during the day and that those staying in nearby student residences had been evacuated.
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Peace talks under strain
The attack drew international condemnation. A US military official reported that NATO-led forces from the Resolute Support mission were aiding Afghan security forces in their operation.
Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh laid the blame on Taliban rebels, while also admitting an "intelligence failure" on the part of the Afghan government.
Negotiations over how to put an end to ongoing violence amid the Taliban insurgency have been going on for months in the Qatari capital, Doha. The complex talks have focused on the future of Afghanistan, including the role of Islam in the country.
Endless battle for power in Afghanistan
Seventeen years after the US invasion of Afghanistan, the war-torn country remains in the grip of Islamist violence. A string of deadly attacks in the last year suggests militants are stronger than ever.
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Fragile security
Repeated attacks in Afghanistan in 2018 and 2019 have killed and wounded hundreds of innocent Afghans, and shown the world the fragile and worsening state of security in the conflict-stricken country. The incidents have plunged war-weary Afghan citizens into a state of despair and highlighted the limitations faced by the government in Kabul in ensuring public security.
Image: Reuters/M. Ismail
A long series of attacks
The violent incidents have made Afghanistan once again a staple of international headlines. Outfits like the Taliban and the "Islamic State" (IS) have claimed responsibility for the attacks. The Afghan government is under heavy pressure to restore security and take back territory controlled by a number of insurgent groups, including the Taliban and IS.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Hossaini
Spring offensive
In 2018, the Taliban announced the start of their annual spring offensive, dismissing an offer of peace talks by President Ashraf Ghani. The militants, fighting to restore their version of strict Islamic law to Afghanistan, said their campaign was a response to a more aggressive US military strategy adopted in 2017, which aims to force the militants into peace talks.
Image: Reuters
Trump's Afghanistan policy
US President Donald Trump unveiled a new strategy for Afghanistan in 2017, vowing to deploy more troops to train and advise Afghan security forces. Trump also pledged to support Afghan troops in their war against the Taliban and maintain US presence in the country for as long as there was a need for it. In 2019, he reversed course and promised a troop pullout.
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Afghan peace process
Despite President Ghani's offer in February 2018 for peace talks "without preconditions," the Taliban had until 2019 shown no interest, dismissing the peace overtures as a "conspiracy."
Image: Getty Images/AFP/N. Shirzad
Pakistani support
Pakistan has been under pressure from Kabul and Washington to stop offering safe havens to militants blamed for attacks in Afghanistan, a charge Islamabad denies and insists that its influence over the insurgents has been exaggerated. Kabul and Islamabad regularly trade accusations of harboring the other country's militants and the harsh language has underscored the strains between them.
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Role of the warlords
Apart from the Taliban, Afghan warlords exercise massive influence in the country. Last year, Hizb-i-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar returned to Kabul after a 20-year exile to play an active role in Afghan politics. In September 2016, the Afghan government signed a deal with Hekmatyar in the hope that other warlords and militant groups would seek better ties with Kabul.
Image: Reuters/O.Sobhani
An inefficient government
In the midst of an endless battle for power, President Ghani's approval ratings continue to plummet. Rampant corruption in the Afghan government and a long tug-of-war within the US-brokered national unity government has had a negative impact on the government's efforts to eradicate terrorism.
Image: Reuters/K. Pempel
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The Islamist extremist group "Islamic State", which claimed responsibility for the violence, had previously carried out other attacks in the Afghan capital.
International guests
The attack took place during a joint Afghan-Iranian book fair being held on the campus. The Iranian ambassador and culture attache were both present, as well as various international guests.
