19 killed in attack on Kabul University

Bloomberg

Three gunmen attacked Afghanistan’s largest university killing at least 19 people and wounding 22 others, the latest bout of violence to wrack the capital Kabul as the government and Taliban engage in negotiations to end the 19-year-conflict.
Afghan special forces arrived at Kabul University shortly after the attack began late morning, fighting the assailants and saving the lives of hundreds of students, Tariq Arian, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry who confirmed the casualties, said by phone. The gunmen were shot dead after a standoff that lasted for more than six hours.
Vice-President Amrullah Saleh on Twitter called the attack the result of an “intelligence failure” and claimed the Taliban had orchestrated the university assault.
However in a statement, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed denied his group’s involvement.
Footage aired on Tolo News, the country’s largest television channel, showed desperate students fleeing the campus, with some trying to scale walls to get away.
“The assailants were shooting at anyone facing them,”
Mohammad Aziz, a political science student at Kabul University, said in an interview. “They stormed my classroom, and the moment they entered they started shooting at the students and I saw blood everywhere.”