Pak Supplied Tools For Kabul Military Academy Attack: Afghan Envoy

This is the fourth attack on Afghanistan & the third on Kabul in the past week alone.

Afghan security personnel arrive at the site of the attack at the Marshal Fahim academy in Kabul, Afghanistan on 29 January 2018.

(Photo: AP)

In a major development, an Afghan diplomat has alleged that the attack on the military academy in Kabul on 29 January could be traced back to the Pakistan Army.

Afghan diplomat Majeed Qarar took to Twitter to allege that the equipment used by the attackers were supplied by the Pakistan Army to the terrorist organisations in Afghanistan. Qarar also alleged that the army had also supplied military grade goggles to the Lashkar-e-Taiba and other terror groups.

"The night vision goggles found with Taliban attackers in maiwand's ANA base were military grade goggles (Not sold to public) procured by Pak army from a British company & supplied 2 Lashkar-e-Tayyeba in Kashmir & Taliban in Afghanistn. Lashkar-e-Tayyeba is an int'l terrorist org", Qarar tweeted.

Earlier on 29 Januart, Afghan Presidential Spokesman Shahhussain Murtazawi said that the attackers were restricted to the first gate of the academy, near the Marshal Fahim university.

5am Ambush

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack. TOLO news reported that two suicide bombers detonated their explosives at the university gate. Militants set off bombs and opened fire. Afghan security forces told reporters that rocket-propelled grenades and guns were used for the attack, the report added.

The clash between insurgents and security forces near Kabul’s Marshal Fahim Military Academy went on for five hours, confirmed MoD spokesman Dawlat Waziri to TOLO news.

Four terrorists have been killed, and one apprehended, 1TVNewsAF quoted defence ministry officials as saying.

Five soldiers of the Afghan security forces were killed, and at least 10 others injured in the attack, a Kabul defence ministry official told TOLO News.

Five army soldiers were killed and 10 others were wounded in attack on Marshal Fahim Military University in Kabul.

Basir Mujahid, Spokesman, Afghan Police

Also Read: Kabul Blast Death Toll Rises to 103; US, India Condemn Attack

Kabul resident Mohammad Ehsan told Reuters that the explosions began at around 5 am (0030 GMT) and lasted at least an hour, followed by smaller blasts at less frequent intervals.

Successive Attacks Ravage Afghanistan

This is the fourth terror attack in Afghanistan in the past week, and the third just in Kabul in the past week.

Also Read: 40 Dead in Kabul Hotel Attack, Militants Killed, Crisis Ends

The attack came days after an ambulance bomb in the centre of Kabul killed more than 100 people and just over a week after a separate attack on the Hotel Intercontinental killed more than 40.

Both those attacks were claimed by the Taliban.

In October 2017, a suicide attacker rammed a car full of explosives into a bus carrying cadets from the defence university, home to one of Afghanistan's main officer training schools, killing 15.

(With inputs from Reuters, TOLO News, ANI & RT)

(This is a developing story and will be updated with details)