Attack on American University in Afghanistan Leaves '13 Dead'

In an attack by assailants on the American University in Afghanistan in Kabul, 13 people were killed and at least 43 others were injured. Abdul Rahman Rahimi, the police chief of Kabul, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Dari section that seven students, including two girls, are among the dead. Among the victims are three university guards and three police officers. Afghan officials reported on September 3 that the assailants attacked the campus of the American University of Afghanistan using automatic weapons and a car bomb. According to a reporter from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Dari section, an explosion occurred near the university first, and then armed individuals entered the campus. The car explosion was carried out as a suicide attack. Special operations forces have been dispatched to the scene, and according to NBC News and a senior security official, 'two attackers have been killed.' Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan executive, stated on his Twitter account that special operations forces are taking all necessary actions to save lives and clear the area of 'enemies.' Dozens of students and staff have been evacuated from the site, some of whom are injured. The number of dead and injured has significantly increased. Diane Parich, a senior official at the Emergency Hospital in Kabul, told the Associated Press that some of the injured have severe wounds likely caused by gunfire from automatic weapons. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but Taliban militants have increased their attacks on military and civilian targets in Afghanistan in recent weeks as summer has begun. The American University of Afghanistan is one of the reputable educational institutions in the country, and many of its professors are foreign nationals. Less than two weeks ago, two professors from the same university, one American and one Australian, were kidnapped, and their fate remains unknown.