Students were gunned down "one by one" as they leapt from the windows of Kabul University classrooms when militants stormed the campus earlier this week, a survivor told AFP Wednesday.

At least 22 people, mostly students, were killed and another 27 wounded when three gunmen stormed the university on Monday, spraying classrooms with bullets in an assault claimed by the jihadist Islamic State group.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-narendra-modi-strongly-condemns-cowardly-terrorist-attack-at-kabul-university-339946">PM Narendra Modi strongly condemns 'cowardly' terrorist attack at Kabul University</a>

Mohammad Qasim Kohistani, 22, a student of public policy at Kabul University, one of Afghanistan's main educational institutions, described how the seven-hour attack unfolded.

"We were waiting for our teacher to come... suddenly, we heard loud sounds coming from the first floor," Kohistani, who was in a classroom on the second floor, told AFP.

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"We knew something was wrong, we started jumping from the windows."

Kohistani took refuge under a window ledge with his friends, a bloody scene unravelling above him as the attackers went room to room searching out victims.

"After a gunman took over our class he started shooting fleeing students from the window," he said.

"The (other two) gunmen were shooting students one by one from a close range," he added.

Hundreds of students fled, some by scrambling over perimeter walls and onto the streets, others by barricading themselves inside rooms until they were rescued by Afghan special forces.&nbsp;

Best friend killed

Among those killed was Kohistani's best friend, Ahmad Ali, who stopped to help another friend, Roqia.&nbsp;

"He didn't jump from the window because Roqia had fainted," he explained.

"He wanted to save her but the gunman shot both of them in the head and killed them."

Kohistani, who sprained a leg when he jumped, stayed hidden for hours on campus.

"It was the most horrible moment of my life," he said.&nbsp;

"All through the day we were hearing their wails and cries for help but we were helpless."

After the attack ended, Kohistani came to learn that the attackers had killed everyone inside one of the classrooms below his.

"I am still in trauma. Yesterday, I was not even able to talk," he said.&nbsp;

Officials said two attackers were shot dead by security forces, while the third blew himself up during the assault.

The attack was claimed by IS, the second such assault the group had carried out on an educational centre in less than two weeks in the capital.

However, Vice President Amrullah Saleh has blamed the Taliban and their allies in Pakistan for the attack.

The Taliban have denied it was involved.

Afghan security forces have been grappling with surging violence that has only worsened in recent months despite the government holding peace talks with the Taliban in Qatar.

Afghanistan held a national day of mourning on Tuesday, while students demonstrated outside Kabul University, holding banners which read "Stop killing us".

Students were gunned down "one by one" as they leapt from the windows of Kabul University classrooms when militants stormed the campus earlier this week, a survivor told AFP Wednesday.

Students were gunned down "one by one" as they leapt from the windows of Kabul University classrooms when militants stormed the campus earlier this week, a survivor told AFP Wednesday. At least 22 people, mostly students, were killed and another 27 wounded when three gunmen stormed the university on Monday, spraying classrooms with bullets in an assault claimed by the jihadist Islamic State group. Also read: PM Narendra Modi strongly condemns 'cowardly' terrorist attack at Kabul University Mohammad Qasim Kohistani, 22, a student of public policy at Kabul University, one of Afghanistan's main educational institutions, described how the seven-hour attack unfolded. "We were waiting for our teacher to come... suddenly, we heard loud sounds coming from the first floor," Kohistani, who was in a classroom on the second floor, told AFP. "We knew something was wrong, we started jumping from the windows." Kohistani took refuge under a window ledge with his friends, a bloody scene unravelling above him as the attackers went room to room searching out victims. "After a gunman took over our class he started shooting fleeing students from the window," he said. "The (other two) gunmen were shooting students one by one from a close range," he added. Hundreds of students fled, some by scrambling over perimeter walls and onto the streets, others by barricading themselves inside rooms until they were rescued by Afghan special forces. Best friend killed Among those killed was Kohistani's best friend, Ahmad Ali, who stopped to help another friend, Roqia. "He didn't jump from the window because Roqia had fainted," he explained. "He wanted to save her but the gunman shot both of them in the head and killed them." Kohistani, who sprained a leg when he jumped, stayed hidden for hours on campus. "It was the most horrible moment of my life," he said. "All through the day we were hearing their wails and cries for help but we were helpless." After the attack ended, Kohistani came to learn that the attackers had killed everyone inside one of the classrooms below his. "I am still in trauma. Yesterday, I was not even able to talk," he said. Officials said two attackers were shot dead by security forces, while the third blew himself up during the assault. The attack was claimed by IS, the second such assault the group had carried out on an educational centre in less than two weeks in the capital. However, Vice President Amrullah Saleh has blamed the Taliban and their allies in Pakistan for the attack. The Taliban have denied it was involved. Afghan security forces have been grappling with surging violence that has only worsened in recent months despite the government holding peace talks with the Taliban in Qatar. Afghanistan held a national day of mourning on Tuesday, while students demonstrated outside Kabul University, holding banners which read "Stop killing us".

Terrorists shot students 'one by one' in Afghan university attack: Survivor

Sixteen people were killed after militants stormed the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, officials said Thursday, in a nearly 10-hour raid that prompted anguished pleas for help from trapped students. 
 
Explosions and gunfire rocked the campus after the attack began Wednesday evening, just weeks after two university professors -- an American and an Australian -- were kidnapped at gunpoint near the school. 
 
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the assault, but it occurred as the Taliban ramp up their nationwide summer offensive against the Western-backed government. 
 
The presidential office said the attack was &quot;orchestrated&quot; from Pakistan, Afghanistan&#39;s longtime regional nemesis often accused of harbouring the Taliban. 
 
&quot;Sixteen people, including eight students, were killed and 53 others were wounded,&quot; health ministry spokesman Waheed Majroh told AFP. &quot;Some of the wounded are in critical condition.&quot; 
 
The interior ministry said the fatalities included policemen, a university guard and a guard from the neighbouring vocational school for the visually impaired. 
 
Hundreds of trapped students were rescued during the overnight operation, many of whom tweeted desperate messages for help. Some used classroom furniture to barricade the doors while others made a mad scramble to escape through windows. 
 
The attack began just after dusk, when the private university is usually packed with students, many of them working professionals doing part-time courses. 
 
&quot;Students were pushing each other out of the classroom window,&quot; Farzana, a young student who managed to flee told AFP. &quot;I was reluctant to jump but a fellow student pushed me and I fell down. The rest I don&#39;t remember.&quot; 
 
Authorities refused to confirm whether any hostages had been taken. 
 
NATO military advisers helped Afghan forces to respond to the attack, a US official said, without specifying how many troops were involved. 
 
At dawn, after the assault had ended, a few women students, some of them terrified and weeping, were escorted out of the campus by policemen. 
 
&#39;Brutal attack&#39; 
 
The attack, apparently the first major militant assault on a prominent university in Afghanistan, has cast a pall on the education sector, seen as a rare symbol of hope for the country&#39;s burgeoning youth at a time of rising insecurity. 
 
The growing number of students attending university, especially women, has been hailed as a success story in Afghanistan since the 2001 ouster of the Taliban regime, which banned women&#39;s education. 
 
&quot;Terrorist groups, by attacking civilians, educational institutions, residential areas, culverts, bridges, electricity stations... want to obstruct growth and strengthening of the values that Afghans believe in,&quot; President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement, condemning the &quot;brutal attack&quot;. 
 
The attack was &quot;organised and orchestrated&quot; from Pakistan, his office said in a separate statement, adding that Ghani spoke to Pakistan&#39;s powerful army chief General Raheel Sharif to demand &quot;serious measures against the terrorists&quot;. 
 
The elite American University of Afghanistan, which opened in 2006 and enrols more than 1,700 students, was long seen as a high-profile target for militants partly because it attracts foreign faculty members. 
 
The two foreign professors at the university were seized from their vehicle on August 7, when the kidnappers smashed the passenger window and hauled them away at gunpoint. 
 
Their whereabouts are still unknown and no group so far has publicly claimed responsibility for the abductions, the latest in a series of kidnappings of foreigners. 
 
The uptick in violence comes as the Taliban escalate nationwide attacks, underscoring the worsening security situation since NATO forces ended their combat mission at the end of 2014. 
 
Afghan forces backed by US troops are seeking to head off a potential Taliban takeover of Lashkar Gah, the capital of the southern opium-rich province of Helmand. 
 
The turmoil convulsing Helmand, blighted by a huge opium harvest that helps fund the insurgency, has left thousands of people displaced, sparking a humanitarian crisis. 
 
The Taliban have also closed in on Kunduz -- the northern city they briefly seized last year in their biggest military victory so far -- leaving Afghan forces stretched on multiple fronts. 
&nbsp;

No group has claimed responsibility for the assault but the presidential office said the attack was 'orchestrated' from Pakistan

Sixteen people were killed after militants stormed the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, officials said Thursday, in a nearly 10-hour raid that prompted anguished pleas for help from trapped students. Explosions and gunfire rocked the campus after the attack began Wednesday evening, just weeks after two university professors -- an American and an Australian -- were kidnapped at gunpoint near the school. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the assault, but it occurred as the Taliban ramp up their nationwide summer offensive against the Western-backed government. The presidential office said the attack was "orchestrated" from Pakistan, Afghanistan's longtime regional nemesis often accused of harbouring the Taliban. "Sixteen people, including eight students, were killed and 53 others were wounded," health ministry spokesman Waheed Majroh told AFP. "Some of the wounded are in critical condition." The interior ministry said the fatalities included policemen, a university guard and a guard from the neighbouring vocational school for the visually impaired. Hundreds of trapped students were rescued during the overnight operation, many of whom tweeted desperate messages for help. Some used classroom furniture to barricade the doors while others made a mad scramble to escape through windows. The attack began just after dusk, when the private university is usually packed with students, many of them working professionals doing part-time courses. "Students were pushing each other out of the classroom window," Farzana, a young student who managed to flee told AFP. "I was reluctant to jump but a fellow student pushed me and I fell down. The rest I don't remember." Authorities refused to confirm whether any hostages had been taken. NATO military advisers helped Afghan forces to respond to the attack, a US official said, without specifying how many troops were involved. At dawn, after the assault had ended, a few women students, some of them terrified and weeping, were escorted out of the campus by policemen. 'Brutal attack' The attack, apparently the first major militant assault on a prominent university in Afghanistan, has cast a pall on the education sector, seen as a rare symbol of hope for the country's burgeoning youth at a time of rising insecurity. The growing number of students attending university, especially women, has been hailed as a success story in Afghanistan since the 2001 ouster of the Taliban regime, which banned women's education. "Terrorist groups, by attacking civilians, educational institutions, residential areas, culverts, bridges, electricity stations... want to obstruct growth and strengthening of the values that Afghans believe in," President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement, condemning the "brutal attack". The attack was "organised and orchestrated" from Pakistan, his office said in a separate statement, adding that Ghani spoke to Pakistan's powerful army chief General Raheel Sharif to demand "serious measures against the terrorists". The elite American University of Afghanistan, which opened in 2006 and enrols more than 1,700 students, was long seen as a high-profile target for militants partly because it attracts foreign faculty members. The two foreign professors at the university were seized from their vehicle on August 7, when the kidnappers smashed the passenger window and hauled them away at gunpoint. Their whereabouts are still unknown and no group so far has publicly claimed responsibility for the abductions, the latest in a series of kidnappings of foreigners. The uptick in violence comes as the Taliban escalate nationwide attacks, underscoring the worsening security situation since NATO forces ended their combat mission at the end of 2014. Afghan forces backed by US troops are seeking to head off a potential Taliban takeover of Lashkar Gah, the capital of the southern opium-rich province of Helmand. The turmoil convulsing Helmand, blighted by a huge opium harvest that helps fund the insurgency, has left thousands of people displaced, sparking a humanitarian crisis. The Taliban have also closed in on Kunduz -- the northern city they briefly seized last year in their biggest military victory so far -- leaving Afghan forces stretched on multiple fronts.

16 dead, 53 wounded in attack on American University in Kabul

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Terrorists shot students 'one by one' in Afghan university attack: Survivor

16 dead, 53 wounded in attack on American University in Kabul