Terrorists entered classrooms and gunned down dozens of students earlier this month (File)
Kabul, Afghanistan:
Afghan forces captured the “mastermind” of a brutal attack on Kabul University when terrorists entered classrooms and gunned down dozens of students earlier this month, a senior official said on Saturday.
At least 22 people were killed and 27 others injured when three gunmen ransacked the university on November 2, spraying classrooms with bullets for several hours.
The brazen assault of daylight came amid growing violence across the country that has only worsened in recent months despite the government conducting peace talks with the Taliban in Qatar.
“The mastermind behind the Kabul University attack has been arrested,” Vice President Amrullah Saleh announced on his Facebook page.
The attack, which ended after the three attackers were killed in action, was planned by a terrorist named Adil, Saleh said.
Adil was recruited by the Haqqani network, Saleh said, giving only one name of the man arrested.
“The attack was carried out to pressure, defame and make the government appear weak in front of the people,” Saleh said.
Adil, who had studied Islamic Sharia law, was from Panjshir province but his family lived on the outskirts of Kabul, he said.
“Adil had been missing for three years amid rumors that he had gone for war and combat training,” Saleh said.
During questioning, Adil revealed that he had received weapons from the Haqqani network to carry out the attack, Saleh added.
The shadowy Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network has long been accused of carrying out brutal assaults on Western forces and civilians, and has been labeled a terrorist group by Washington.
Shortly after the attack, Mr. Saleh and other senior officials blamed the Taliban for the attack on the university.
However, the attack was claimed by the ISIS group.
Days before the university attack, ISIS claimed responsibility for yet another deadly suicide bombing near an education center in a western neighborhood of Kabul that killed 24 people.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
