Gunmen storm Kabul University, killing 22, in second deadly attack on students in just over a week

By Abdul Qadir Sediqi, Orooj Hakimi and Hamid Shalizi

 

Afghan security forces stand guard during an attack near the university of Kabul, Afghanistan November 2, 2020. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

 

KABUL (Reuters) - Gunmen stormed Kabul University, killing at least 22 people including students in their classrooms, on Monday and Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for what President Ashraf Ghani called a "despicable act of terror".

 

In a video message, Ghani, who once lectured at the university, announced a national day of mourning to honour the victims and offered his "condolences and profound sympathies to the nation" and the families of the victims.

 

"My heart is still beating for this academic institution," he said. "Today's attack has left us grief-stricken."

 

Gunmen barged into Kabul University in the morning, killing students in their classrooms and firing on others as they fled, officials and witnesses said, in what was the second attack on an educational institution in the capital in just over a week.

 

The three attackers killed at least 22 people, including students, and wounded 22 others before Afghan security forces shot the gunmen dead, the health ministry said.

 

The attack was claimed by Islamic State, the jihadist group's Amaq News Agency said. Amaq said the gunmen targeted a gathering being held to mark the completion of a training course at the university.

 

Gunmen attacked Kabul University's campus on Monday, killing at least 19 students and trading fire with security forces. Over a dozen others are also said to be injured. Adam Reed reports.

 

Photos shared by a senior government official showed students lying dead in classrooms, some next to their books. One student appeared to have been shot as he was climbing out of a window.

 

"They were shooting at every student they saw...They even shot at the students who were running away," witness Fathullah Moradi told Reuters.

 

"This is the second attack on educational institutions in Kabul ... Afghan children & youth need to feel safe going to school," NATO Senior Civilian Representative to Afghanistan Stefano Pontecorvo said in a statement.

 

A suicide bomber killed 24 people including teenage students at an education centre in Kabul on Oct. 24. Islamic State claimed responsibility for that attack, without providing evidence.

 

Taliban insurgents issued a statement condemning the latest attack and denying any involvement.

 

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.

 

In a post on Twitter, the Presidential Palace announced a day of mourning on Tuesday, for which the Afghan flag will fly at half mast in the country and at its diplomatic missions around the world.

 

(Reporting by Abdul Qadir Sediqi, Orooj Hakimi and Hamid Shalizi; Additional reporting by Hameed Farzad in Kabul and Nayera Abdallah in Cairo; writing by Charlotte Greenfield and Gibran Peshimam; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-11-03

 

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Disgusting criminals 

1 hour ago, Tug said:

Disgusting criminals 

 

Yes. Attack claimed by IS.

The Virus , all the destruction of natural ecosystems , the economical disaster , climate change , forest fires , draught etc is not enough yet , there need to be the muslim extremists wanting to destroy all on believers , too ...?

Mad world . ( Not the world itself is mad , but the people ) .

Wow the religion of PEACE again. Sad ???? 

34 minutes ago, SomchaiCNX said:

Wow the religion of PEACE again. Sad ???? 

 

Like all Abrahamic religions, Islam does not condone murder.

@cereal: what's so funny? Where in the Koran is killing condoned against innocent Muslims or indeed anyone has has not breached Islamic rulings / law?

8 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

wanting to destroy all on believers , too ...?

all NON believers , sorry ...

1 hour ago, nobodysfriend said:

all NON believers , sorry ...

 

The victims were innocent Muslims murdered by Islamist extremists.

10 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

The Virus , all the destruction of natural ecosystems , the economical disaster , climate change , forest fires , draught etc is not enough yet , there need to be the muslim extremists wanting to destroy all on believers , too ...?

Mad world . ( Not the world itself is mad , but the people ) .

truly so many <deleted>d up things in this world.   always try to remind my daughter , and myself,  and maybe a few tv members ,   how fortunate we are not to be living in some of the really bad places

that many are born into.

4 hours ago, simple1 said:

Where in the Koran is killing condoned against innocent Muslims

 

I think you should ask that question to ISLAMIC terrorists, because that is EXACTLY why they are killing innocent people everywhere, they say it is their religion and their "god" that told them to do so....

9 hours ago, CanadaSam said:

 

I think you should ask that question to ISLAMIC terrorists, because that is EXACTLY why they are killing innocent people everywhere, they say it is their religion and their "god" that told them to do so....

 

My thinking concerning IS, the killers in this instance, are motivated by power and greed to try and establish the Khorasan caliphate which as far as I know is not a component of the 'end of times' in Islamic mythology.

 

https://www.csis.org/programs/transnational-threats-project/terrorism-backgrounders/islamic-state-khorasan-k

 

It is claimed the murders at the University were aimed at students gradating from courses for the judiciary and investigators.

13 hours ago, rumak said:

truly so many <deleted>d up things in this world.   always try to remind my daughter , and myself,  and maybe a few tv members ,   how fortunate we are not to be living in some of the really bad places

that many are born into.

Many leave their country but than complain to their guests and tell them that they have to adjust to their religion. Weird world indeed.

19 hours ago, SomchaiCNX said:

Wow the religion of PEACE again. Sad ???? 

Khunken you always seems to be sad when somebody has something to say about Islam. You can join the discussion instead if you want.

14 hours ago, simple1 said:

 

The victims were innocent Muslims murdered by Islamist extremists.

For not having a beard, or scratching their ass in public........?

Sunbeam, they were killed by Muslims, no ifs or buts......????

2 hours ago, simple1 said:

 

My thinking concerning IS, the killers in this instance, are motivated by power and greed to try and establish the Khorasan caliphate which as far as I know is not a component of the 'end of times' in Islamic mythology.

 

https://www.csis.org/programs/transnational-threats-project/terrorism-backgrounders/islamic-state-khorasan-k

 

It is claimed the murders at the University were aimed at students gradating from courses for the judiciary and investigators.

But they, the dead and the killers, were Muslims.....Yes or No....?

9 minutes ago, SomchaiCNX said:

Khunken you always seems to be sad when somebody has something to say about Islam. You can join the discussion instead if you want.

The bloke rarely writes, all he does is stalks many of us with sad emijons.....Which is very sad.....????

just go after them, find their hideouts and kill them all. That's the only answer ...  imo

23 minutes ago, transam said:

<For not having a beard, or scratching their ass in public........?

Sunbeam, they were killed by Muslims, no ifs or buts.....????

The students were murdered as they had just graduated to join the Afghan government judiciary and investigations units. 

 

they were killed by Muslims, no ifs or buts

 

Did I say they weren't? They were murdered by Islamist extremists; IS.

1 minute ago, simple1 said:

The students were murdered as they had just graduated to join the Afghan government judiciary and investigations units. 

 

they were killed by Muslims, no ifs or buts

 

Did I say they weren't?

So, it is all Muslim stuff, to kill fellow unarmed Muslims because........ .....Thank you......

 

Tens of thousands of Muslims joined ISIS to kill those who do not follow "The Book" in every respect...

No excuses for a so called religion of peace...

23 minutes ago, transam said:

But they, the dead and the killers, were Muslims.....Yes or No....?

 

You may think so, but the majority of Muslims do not accept ISIS as representing Islam. There have been tens of thousands of Muslims dying in the fight against IS and other Islamists extremists such as the Taliban.

1 minute ago, transam said:

So, it is all Muslim stuff, to kill fellow unarmed Muslims because........ .....Thank you......

 

Tens of thousands of Muslims joined ISIS to kill those who do not follow "The Book" in every respect...

No excuses for a so called religion of peace...

 

There are hundreds of millions of Muslims who did not join IS with tens of thousands of Muslims dying in the fight against IS and the Taliban. IMO you insult those Muslims who fight against Islamist terrorism and oppression. No point in carrying on this conversation.

3 minutes ago, simple1 said:

 

You may think so, but the majority of Muslims do not accept ISIS as representing Islam. There have been tens of thousands of Muslims dying in the fight against IS and other Islamists extremists such as the Taliban.

But they ARE Muslims following "The Book"......The vast majority do NOT follow the book as it was written, the religious world moves on for most, but these killers ARE Muslims... 

Just now, simple1 said:

 

There are hundreds of millions of Muslims who did not join IS with tens of thousands of Muslims dying in the fight against IS and the Taliban. IMO you insult those Muslims who fight against Islamist terrorism and oppression. No point in carrying on this conversation.

The killers ARE Muslims.....Where do I insult Muslims when the fact is that Islamic terrorism around the world is committed by Muslims, not just a few, many thousands....

Just now, transam said:

The killers ARE Muslims.....Where do I insult Muslims when the fact is that Islamic terrorism around the world is committed by Muslims, not just a few, many thousands....

 

I will reply one last time.

 

You are treating  Muslims as one homogeneous ideological group, obviously they are not. There are differing interpretations of the Koran, not all Muslims view the Koran in the same manner and it is self evident the vast majority are not Islamist killers. IMO to lump the victims in the same category as their murderers is an insult to the dead and injured, their families and friends - end of.

 

45 minutes ago, simple1 said:

 

I will reply one last time.

 

You are treating  Muslims as one homogeneous ideological group, obviously they are not. There are differing interpretations of the Koran, not all Muslims view the Koran in the same manner and it is self evident the vast majority are not Islamist killers. IMO to lump the victims in the same category as their murderers is an insult to the dead and injured, their families and friends - end of.

 

Yet that so called majority mostly keeps quit ???? I understand what you are saying. I employed a muslim and even he did not understand those idiots. I liked him a lot and we openly discussed about his religion when things around the world happened. 

22 hours ago, simple1 said:

 

Like all Abrahamic religions, Islam does not condone murder.

Its just the way the nutters interpret it that causes the worry

With regards to islamists and moderate islam, Erdogan famously said in 2007 and has repeated several times since :
These descriptions are very ugly, it is offensive and an insult to our religion. There is no moderate or immoderate islam. Islam is islam and that’s it...

42 minutes ago, katana said:

These descriptions are very ugly, it is offensive and an insult to our religion. There is no moderate or immoderate islam. Islam is islam and that’s it...

Reference to that quote, albeit not primary, but from 2007: "Moderate Turkey's Moderate PM Erdogan Explains: There is No Moderate Islam".