An explosion was reported near the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul’s Darul Aman road on Wednesday, reported TOLO News. Local media sources said a gunbattle is underway at the scene. Unidentified assailants are believed to have infiltrated the university.

Officials confirmed that dozens of people are still inside the premises. Students who managed to escape said the incident started with gunfire which was followed by an explosion, the country’s largest private channel reported. They also said that other students and lecturers are still trapped inside the university. The Afghan Crisis Response Unit has reached the premises, and teams of local police and special forces have surrounded the institute.

A senior interior ministry official told Reuters, “Several gunmen attacked the American University in Kabul and there are reports of gunfire and explosions. They are inside the compound and there are foreign professors along with hundreds of students.” The new agency report by the news agency quoted Ahmad Shaheer, a student at the university, who said, “We are stuck inside our classroom and there are bursts of gunfire.”

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#University Under #Attack in Kabul http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/26912- …

8:59 PM – 24 Aug 2016

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