Kabul University Attack

On November the 2nd three armed men entered the hall of Kabul University, the largest in the country, while the diploma was being given to some judges and investigators who have just finished their university course, around the time government officials were expected to arrive at the campus. The attack lasted more than six hours overall, by the end of which, according to the Afghan authorities, the attackers killed 22 students and got killed themselves by special forces. After that with a post on Telegram the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attack, a man, called Adil, was arrested as to be the mastermind behind it. He has been, according to the country’s Vice President Amrullah statement, a student in the Islamic law faculty of the university, but left his studies to join the militant group, with which he would have planned the attack. The Haqqani militant group is an affiliate of the Taliban, has for long been accused of conduct assaults on Western military forces and civilians as well, and has been listed as “terrorist” group by the United States. Kabul was not expecting such a worsening in violence as in recent months the government was holding peace talks with the Taliban in Qatar. The reason behind so much unprecedented violence has been stated to be to “undermine and defame the government and to make it look weak and ineffective in the minds of people”as Saleh said, in fact the targets of the attack were “graduate judges and investigators belonging to the apostate Afghan government.” Internationally many have expressed their closeness to the families of the murdered students. The ONU mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) stated that such violence is never justified, the same was said by the Italian Embassy in Kabul, which also added that this bloodshed towards civilians and in particular people who are building their future, has to end.