Attack on American University in Kabul

Lewdog

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Apr 26, 2016
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The American University of Afghanistan in Kabul is under assault, while security forces exchange gunfire with the attackers.

The number of students and professors inside are unknown, as is the identity of the attackers.







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Reports of attack on American University in #Kabul. Exercise caution, avoid unnecessary movement in the area & monitor news for updates.

11:45 AM - 24 Aug 2016
American University Under Attack in Kabul, Afghanistan
 
American University in Kabul attacked by insurgents...
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Kabul raid: Security forces hunt university attackers
Wed, 24 Aug 2016 - Security forces search the American University in Kabul for militants following an attack in the Afghan capital which killed one and saw students trapped inside.
One person, reportedly a guard, died and at least 14 were injured in the assault which began with a huge blast. Students and staff who were trapped inside the building are now believed to be safe, but the attackers remain at large, say reports. It is unclear how many attackers there are. No group has so far claimed responsibility. Police have described the attack, which began at about 19:00 local time (14:30 GMT), as "complex" and special forces were on the scene along with American military advisers.

One of those trapped inside was Massoud Hossaini, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, who tweeted his experience and pleaded for help. He later managed to escape and told the Associated Press news agency about the attack, which began with an explosion as he was in a classroom with 15 students. "I went to the window to see what was going on, and I saw a person in normal clothes outside. He shot at me and shattered the glass," Mr Hossaini said, adding that he fell on the glass and cut his hands. The students then barricaded themselves into the classroom. Mr Hossaini said at least two grenades were thrown into the classroom, wounding several classmates.

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Afghan men walk towards an ambulance after they were rescued from the site of an attack at American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, Afghanistan​

He and about nine students later managed to escape from the campus through an emergency gate. "As we were running I saw someone lying on the ground face down, they looked like they had been shot in the back," he said. Student Ahmad Mukhtar told the BBC that he was 100m (320ft) away from the university's main entrance on his way home when he heard "six or 10" shots and a "huge" blast. The explosion created so much light that it momentarily lit up the surrounding area, he said. "I climbed a six-metre wall to escape," Ahmad said.

Other trapped students and staff tweeted or posted on Facebook their desperate pleas for help. The attack comes two weeks after two university staff - one American, one Australian - were kidnapped by unknown gunmen. Their whereabouts remain unknown. The university, which first opened its doors to students in 2005, is a non-profit private university chartered in the US. It offers English courses, adult professional qualifications and bachelor degree programmes, among others. About 1,700 students are enrolled; many are adults who study part-time and also have jobs.

Kabul raid: Security forces hunt university attackers - BBC News

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Militants Attack American University of Afghanistan in Kabul
Aug 24, 2016 - Explosions and gunfire rocked the elite American University of Afghanistan in Kabul on Wednesday, prompting desperate students trapped inside classrooms to plead for help, in the latest militant attack in the Afghan capital.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the assault, which comes just weeks after two university professors -- an American and an Australian -- were kidnapped at gunpoint near the school. Dozens of special forces cordoned off the area after the attack started on Wednesday evening, when the private university is usually packed with students, many of them working professionals doing part-time courses. "I heard explosions and gunfire is going on close by... our classroom is filled with smoke and dust," said an anxious student. "We are stuck inside and very afraid," she told AFP by telephone.

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Afghan security forces rush to respond to a complex Taliban attack on the campus of the American University in the Afghan capital Kabul​

Many other trapped students were tweeting desperate messages for help, with some barricading themselves inside classrooms. Among them was Associated Press photojournalist Massoud Hossaini, who later managed to escape with some fellow students. #AUAF "Many students have been evacuated," said interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi, adding that there were no immediate reports of any hostages taken by the attackers. "We are not sure about the number of attackers... but our special forces have started clearance operations."

Kabul-based journalist Ahmad Mukhtar, a university student, tweeted that he safely managed to escape but "several of my friends and professors (are) trapped inside". Ambulances rushed to the scene as erratic gunshots rang out from inside the campus. The Italian-run Emergency Hospital in Kabul tweeted that at least five wounded people had been brought to the facility for treatment. The attack, which underscores the worsening security situation in Afghanistan, comes as Taliban insurgents step up their summer fighting season against the Western-backed Kabul government.

Taliban offensive
 
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