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.
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.
The attack occurred in the midst of peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government, which are taking place in Qatar.
Deadly hourslong siege
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
Monday's attack is the second deadly assault on an educational institution in the country in two months. A suicide bomber blew himself up at an education center in Kabul in late October, killing 24 people and wounding 57.
