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‘You can’t kill us, you will run out of bullets’
Many foreign embassies flew their flags half-mast in tribute to students massacred in Kabul University
By Farhad Naibkhel
KABUL: Hundreds of people including students protested in Afghanistan’s capital city, Kabul, on Tuesday to condemn the brutal massacre of students in a terrorist attack on Kabul University on Monday which left 22 dead.
A group of terrorists stormed the sprawling Kabul University campus Monday morning and wreaked havoc by erratically shooting at students, killing at least 22 people mostly students.
Protestors assembled in front of Kabul University and called for the Doha peace talks to be boycotted, which symbolizes a general belief that the Taliban were behind the attack. First Vice President Amrullah Saleh has also incriminated the Taliban hinting at similarity between tactic used in Monday’s terrorist attack and that of the insurgent group.
Infuriated by the terrorist rampage, protestors were chanting anti-terrorism slogans. “Terrorists can’t defeat us, we will resist and prevail”, “Long life Afghan security forces, long life Afghanistan, long life our unity”, and “Death to enemies of Afghanistan”, “Attack on universities and schools are attacks on knowledge and education”.
Walls around Kabul University were also thronged with banners reading “Boycott Doha talks”, “Republic will prevail”, “Don’t kill us, you will run out of bullets”.
Demonstrators called on the government to tighten security in educational centers, as they have turned into prime targets of terrorist attacks in recent months. They also asked the government to boycott the ongoing peace talks in Doha, if the Taliban are not ready to accept a ceasefire.
Similarly, students staged rallies in Paktia and Balkh to condemn the attack and express solidarity with the victims. Helmand residents also rallied in protest to Monday’s attack.
The government also declared Tuesday as national mourning and instructed that morning ceremonies be held across the country on Tuesday to pay tribute for the martyrs.
The Afghan national flag is also flown at half-mast across the country and at all diplomatic missions around the world due to mourning day.
The attack was also broadly condemned at national and international level. Many foreign missions and embassies in Kabul condemned it as a “horrific and inhuman act against all humanity and Islamic values”.
Embassies of the United States, United Kingdom, China, France and EU countries all flew their national flags half mast in remembrance of the victims of Kabul University attack.
The attack on Kabul University began on Monday morning and ended after all three attackers were killed by the security forces after nearly five hours of clashes. At last 22 people including students, lecturers and administrative employees of the Kabul University were martyred and another 27 were injured in the attack.
This is the second deadly attack on education institutions in Kabul. A suicide bomber blew up near a tutoring center a fortnight ago killed 24, most of whom teen students. This is a brazen attempt by enemies of education to plunge Afghanistan into darkness.
