Military academy in Afghanistan comes under attack

A military academy in Afghanistan reportedly came under attack after gunfire and explosions were heard in the area.

Local media reports claim that the Marshal Fahim National Defense University was assaulted early Monday morning by local militants. 

The academy is located in the Qargha district Kabul and sits atop a site that sprawls over a 105 acres.   

Local media reports claim that the Marshal Fahim National Defense University was assaulted early Monday morning by local militants

It remains unclear who perpetrated the attacks, but Islamic State and Taliban militants are heavily active in the area

It remains unclear who perpetrated the attacks, but Islamic State and Taliban militants are heavily active in the area

It houses various educational establishments for the Afghan Armed Forces including the National Military Academy of Afghanistan (NMAA), the Afghan National Army Officer Academy (ANAOA), and the Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) Academy, which will include the Sergeant Major Academy.   

It is unclear which part of the university was attacked.  

The incident comes a day after an ambulance stocked with explosives killed more than 100 people inside the capital city, according to the BBC. 

It remains unclear who perpetrated the attacks, but Islamic State and Taliban militants are heavily active in the area. 

The ambulance attack on Saturday took place one week after a popular Kabul hotel frequented by foreigners was attacked, leaving 22 people dead. 

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for each of the attacks but their involvement has yet to be independently confirmed

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for each of the attacks but their involvement has yet to be independently confirmed

Men carry the coffin of a relative who died in Saturday's deadly suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018

Men carry the coffin of a relative who died in Saturday’s deadly suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for each of the attacks but their involvement has yet to be independently confirmed, the BBC reported. 

Local authorities say that a suicide bomber used the ambulance to get through security checkpoints and detonated the explosives near foreign embassies and government buildings.  

‘He passed through the first checkpoint saying he was taking a patient to Jamuriate hospital and at the second checkpoint he was recognised and blew his explosive-laden car,’ said interior ministry deputy spokesman Nasrat Rahimi.  

An injured boy sits in an ambulance after a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan January 27, 2018

An injured boy sits in an ambulance after a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan January 27, 2018

An interior ministry spokesman blamed the Haqqani network, a militant group affiliated with the Taliban which Afghan and Western officials consider to be behind many of the biggest attacks on urban targets in Afghanistan.

The blast tore through a crowded street in a busy part of the city at lunchtime on what is a working day in Afghanistan, leaving at 158 people wounded.   

The explosion happened in a busy part of the city where the High Peace Council, which is charged with negotiating with the Taliban, has offices.

‘It targeted our checkpoint. It was really huge – all our windows are broken,’ said Hassina Safi, a member of High Peace Council.

‘So far we don’t have any reports if any of our members are wounded or killed.’

The Swedish and Dutch embassies as well as the European Union representation and an Indian consular office are also nearby. 

 

  

 

 

 

 



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