Images from the site of the Kabul University terror attack earlier this month. | Photo credit: IANS
Afghan forces captured the “brain” of a brutal attack on Kabul University when militants stormed classrooms and shot dead dozens of students earlier this month, a senior official said Saturday.
At least 22 people were killed and another 27 injured when three gunmen rampaged through the university on November 2, spraying classrooms with bullets for several hours.
The brazen assault in daylight came amid escalating violence across the country that has only worsened in recent months despite the government holding 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 all three attackers were killed in a clash, was planned by a militant named Adil, Saleh said.
Adil was recruited by the Haqqani network, Saleh said, giving only one name of the arrested man.
“The attack was carried out to pressure, defame and make the government appear weak in front of the people,” Saleh said.
Adil, who had been a student of Islamic Sharia law, came 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 his questioning, Adil revealed that he had received weapons from the Haqqani network to carry out the attack, Saleh added.
The shadowy Haqqani network, affiliated with the Taliban, has long been accused of carrying out brutal attacks against Western forces and civilians, and has been branded a terrorist group by Washington.
Shortly after the attack, Saleh and other senior officials blamed the Taliban for the attack on the university.
However, the attack was claimed by the Islamic State group.
Days before the attack on the university, the Islamic State had claimed another deadly suicide attack near an educational center in a western district of Kabul that killed 24 people.
