Militants attack American University in Afghanistan, 1 dead

Kabul, Aug 24 (AP) Militants attacked the AmericanUniversity of Afghanistan today, killing at least one personand wounding another 18, officials said, adding that securityforces were still combing the campus in search of attackers. AP photographer Massoud Hossaini was in a classroom with15 students when he heard an explosion on the southern flankof the campus. "I went to the window to see what was going on, and I sawa person in normal clothes outside. He shot at me andshattered the glass," Hossaini said, adding that he fell onthe glass and cut his hands. The students then barricaded themselves into theclassroom, pushing chairs and desks against the door, andstaying on the floor. Hossaini said at least two grenades werethrown into the classroom, wounding several of his classmates. Hossaini and about nine students later managed to escapefrom the campus through an emergency gate. "As we were running I saw someone lying on the groundface down, they looked like they had been shot in the back,"he said. Hossaini and the other students took refuge in aresidential house near the campus, and were later safelyevacuated by Afghan security forces. Hedayatullah Stanikzai, an official with the Ministry ofPublic Health, said a guard employed by the university hadbeen killed and that the wounded included a foreign teacher.University authorities could not immediately be reached forcomment. University President Mark English earlier told TheAssociated Press that security forces had arrived on the scenesoon after the attack began around 7 PM (1430 GMT), saying "weare trying to assess the situation." Dejan Panic, the program director at Kabul’s EmergencyHospital, said 18 patients, including five women, had so farbeen admitted. He said three were "seriously" wounded,probably from automatic gunfire. Police spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said security forces wereconducting a clearing operation to track down the"terrorists." He said it was still not clear if there were oneor two attackers. All other personnel on the campus were being evacuated,he said. He had no further details on the nature of theattack. The Pentagon said US military advisers were on the groundwith Afghan security forces at the university. Spokesman AdamStump said the forces had been embedded with the Afghan units. The attack on AUAF comes two weeks after two universitystaff, an American and an Australian, were kidnapped fromtheir car by unknown gunmen. Their whereabouts are stillunknown.(AP)APK