Afghanistan Accuses Haqqani of Backing Kabul University Attack
Afghanistan Accuses Haqqani of Backing Kabul University Attack
(Bloomberg) -- Afghanistan arrested a man it claims was the mastermind behind the attack on the country’s largest university, which killed as many as 22 students.
The suspect had been an undergraduate student in the Islamic law faculty of the university, the country’s Vice President Amrullah Saleh said in a statement on Facebook on Saturday. He had left his studies to join the Haqqani militant group and later planned the attack under the command of an experienced member of the insurgents, Saleh said.
Three gunmen armed with grenades and suicide vests entered the university’s halls and classrooms on Nov. 2, wounding dozens. They were shot dead after a standoff with special forces that lasted for more than six hours.
The attacker’s motivation was to “undermine and defame the government and to make it look weak and ineffective in the minds of people,” Saleh said.
Saleh initially blamed the Taliban, which denied involvement. Haqqani, regarded as a branch of the Taliban, hasn’t claimed responsibility either.
The Taliban have begun peace talks with the Afghan government in Qatar, seeking to end a 19-year conflict that has shattered the country.
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