Gunmen kill seven students, professor
At least two gunmen storm classrooms after a suspected car bomb is used to get into the walled complex, and killed seven students and a professor. The death toll could have been far higher, with most students managing to barricade themselves in classrooms or flee to safety, even if it meant breaking bones as they jumped from the second floor of a building. There has been no claim of responsibility for the raid.
U.S. airstrike kills leader
A U.S. airstrike kills Abu Kahlil al-Sudani, a high-ranking commander in al Qaeda, in the southeastern Afghan province of Paktika on the Pakistani border. Al-Sudani was the head of al Qaeda’s suicide and explosive operations and has been directly linked to plans for external attacks against the U.S. Defense Secretary Carter:
This operation underscores the work that . . . all of our forces in Afghanistan do each day to take the fight to al Qaeda. We will continue to counter violent extremism in the region and around the world.
Suicide attack kills over 30
A suicide bomb attack on a bank branch in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad kills at least 30 people. More than 80 people wounded in the attack. The attacker detonated an explosive-laden motorcycle, targeting a crowd of both military personnel and civilians who were gathered outside the bank to receive their monthly salaries. The bank branch is located in the heart of a crowded commercial district.
Another blast was reported near a shrine in Jalalabad, but no one was hurt. A third blast was also heard in Jalalabad, but it was later reported as a controlled explosion by the Afghan army in Nangarhar. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.