12 Killed in Attack on American University of Afghanistan

Police in Kabul say 12 people were killed and at least 30 more wounded in an attack on the American University of Afghanistan that lasted nearly 10 hours. By Thursday morning, Afghan forces are reported to have killed two attackers and rescued about 700 students who were being held in the school. Gunmen stormed the complex Wednesday amid explosions and gunfire, prompting hundreds of students to barricade themselves in classrooms, with some taking to Twitter to issue pleas for help. The attack came just weeks after two foreign professors, one American and one Australian, were kidnapped near the school. While the number of attackers appears to be unknown, Fraidoon Obaidi, chief of the police’s Criminal Investigation Unit, told AFP at least two attackers were killed in the dramatic rescue. “We have ended our clean-up operation. Two attackers were gunned down,” he said. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Taliban has been escalating attacks in recent weeks.