Afghan forces capture ‘mastermind’ of two Kabul attacks

Afghanistan forces have captured the mastermind of two brutal attacks on education institutes in country’s capital city Kabul which killed nearly 50 people, officials said on Saturday.

On November 2, at least 22 people were killed and another 27 wounded when three gunmen rampaged through Kabul University, spraying classrooms with bullets for several hours. The assault came just days after 24 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up near the Kawsar-e Danish education centre, which offered training and higher-education courses.

“NDS special forces have detained Mohammad Adel, the main mastermind of Kabul University and Kawsar education centre, in a targeted operation in Kabul,” Afghanistan’s intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security (NDS), said. It did not say when Adel was captured.

During his interrogation, Adel told NDS officers that it was he who proposed the idea to attack Kabul University as it “would get wide coverage and put pressure on the government”, the NDS said.

Earlier on Saturday, Vice President Amrullah Saleh had also said Adel masterminded the university attack. He said Adel was recruited by the Haqqani network, an affiliate of the Taliban.

“The attack was carried out to pressure, defame and make the government look weak in front of the people,” Saleh said.

He further said that Adel — a student of the Islamic sharia law hailing from the province of Panjshir — had revealed that he had received weapons from the Haqqani network to carry out the attack.

The shadowy group has long been accused of carrying out brutal assaults on Western forces and civilians, and has been branded a terrorist group by Washington.

“Adil had been missing for three years amid rumours that he had gone to receive training in war and fighting,” Saleh said.

Saleh and other top officials initially blamed the Taliban for the university attack, but the armed group denied involvement. However, later, the attack was claimed by the ISIL (ISIS) armed group.