At least 13 killed, 36 wounded as gunman attacks American University in Afghanistan

At least 13 people were killed and 36 others were wounded when gunmen attacked the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, Afghan officials said early Thursday.  Approximately 12 hours after the attack began Wednesday evening, Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said that about 700 students had been rescued from the university compound. The State Department announced Thursday no Americans were killed or wounded. Details on the victims were not immediately available, but Hedayatullah Stanikzai, an official with the Ministry of Public Health, said a guard employed by the university was among the dead. Reuters reported that both gunmen involved in the assault were also killed.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attack on the university, which was established in 2006 to offer liberal arts courses modeled on the U.S. system, and has more than 1,000 students currently enrolled. Witnesses said the gunmen got into the university despite tight security measures, including armed guards and watchtowers.
"Many students jumped from the second floor, some broke their legs and some hurt their head trying to escape," said Abdullah Fahimi, a student who injured his ankle making the leap. Dozens of students and foreign staffers who could not get away barricaded themselves inside classrooms and safe rooms.
The attack was the second time in less than three weeks that the American University has been targeted by militants. Two of its professors were kidnapped at gunpoint in Kabul on August 7. The professors were identified as Kevin King, an American, and Timothy Weeks from Australia. Men in military uniforms reportedly abducted them as they traveled between the campus and their home in Kabul. The professors' whereabouts are unclear.
Source: FoxNews