The American University of Afghanistan in the capital Kabul is under attack by several militants according to witnesses, with gunfire and explosions heard coming from inside the campus.
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The attack comes two weeks after two university staff were kidnapped from their vehicle by unknown gunmen. Hundreds of students and foreign professors remained trapped, the officials said.
“Most of them were killed from the attackers firing”, police spokesman Basir Mujahid said shortly after 6 a.m. Special forces were on the scene along with American military advisers, the BBC said.
It’s possible that this person is one of the three that a Kabul Emergency Hospital official told the AP had been “seriously” wounded, likely because they were hit with bullets from an automatic weapon.
American University President Mark English confirmed an attack to the Associated Press but did not provide details.
The United States said it was closely monitoring the situation in Kabul following the university attack and that forces from the USA -led coalition were involved in the response in an advise-and-assist role. “I myself started crying when I heard the gunfire and how it was close to me”.
A student who escaped, Massoud Hossaini, told the Associated Press that he, too, had been trapped with some other students in a classroom, where they barricaded themselves inside by pushing chairs and desks against the door. Shahpour, who like many Afghans goes by one name. Gunfire was still heard about an hour later. “He shot at me and shattered the glass”, Hossaini told the AP, adding that he fell on the glass and cut his hands. According to media reports, there were two assailants who entered the campus after hitting the main gate with a auto. Hossaini said at least two grenades were thrown into the classroom, wounding several of his classmates. He said “we are trying to assess the situation”.
The U.S. State Department condemned what it called “an attack on the future of Afghanistan”. The university, founded in 2004, is Afghanistan’s first and only private, nonprofit higher education institution, and the only one to admit women and men.
State Department spokesperson Elizabeth Trudeau said the US Embassy was working to account for all of its personnel and to locate and assist any US citizens affected by the attack.
Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said the dead included seven students, two police officers and a security guard.
“We send our thoughts and prayers to the families and loved ones of those killed and our heartfelt wishes for a speedy recovery to those wounded”, Price said. “We further reaffirm the support of the United States for the Afghan government and people as they continue to build a more stable, secure, and prosperous Afghanistan”.
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A photo of the attack on the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul tweeted by journalist Kazemi Mustafa. They have not been found, and no group has yet claimed responsibility for the act.
