At least 12 people are reported dead, including seven students, following an hours-long attack on American University of Afghanistan in western Kabul. Dozens more were wounded in the attack.
The university became the victim of a “complex attack,” meaning that the university was assaulted with gunfire and an explosion, according to NBC News.
American University of Afghanistan is a private, non-profit school that is “modeled on American curriculum and standards,” according to the school’s website.
Following the initial car bomb explosion at a school for the blind next door, at least one gunman fired at the university. Afghan forces surrounded the university’s compound as dozens tried to escape. According to The New York Times, others took to social media to contact loved ones and plead for help, including Massoud Hossaini, a photographer for the Associated Press.
Multiple sources say that students trapped inside classrooms barricaded the doors with desks and chairs, and remained on the ground. Hossaini was trapped inside the university, but was able to escape safely with about 9 other students through an emergency exit.
He told the AP, “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.”
So far, no terrorist group has taken responsibility for the attack, and police spokesperson Sediq Sediqqi told Fox News it’s not clear whether there were one or two attackers.
University officials are still working to “assess the situation,” as the dust begins to settle after what could possibly be a terrorist attack.
This is the second attack on the university this month.
On Aug. 7, an American and an Australian professor were kidnapped by five gunmen from a car near the university’s campus, and there have been no updates on the condition of those professors.