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Bullet-scarred walls, blood-stained floors bear testimony to deadly attack

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Bullet-riddled walls, blown out ceilings and blood spattered floors were on Tuesday stark testimony to the carnage caused by attackers who went on a shooting rampage at Kabul University on Monday.

Video footage and photographs taken by Ariana journalists in the classrooms at the Law Faculty paint an extremely disturbing picture, driving home the fact that the majority of those killed were young students in their early 20s who were robbed of their dreams and aspirations by the ruthless killers.

In the 24 hours since the end of the six-hour siege, messages of condolences and condemnation flooded social media and while Tuesday was declared a day of mourning in Afghanistan, many foreign embassies flew their flags at half mast in solidarity with a grieving nation.

Officials have put the death toll at 22 but sources told Reuters earlier Tuesday that 30 died in the carnage.

One of the students killed in Monday's attack was due to marry on Thursday. All his classmates were invited but instead, a funeral was held in place of a wedding. On Tuesday, the shocking reality of this was visible in the blood spattered copies of his wedding invitations that were strewn across a classroom floor.

“Each of our classes had 50 to 70 students, many of whom were victims,” said Saifullah Mohammadi, a gardener at the law faculty.

One student who survived was stunned that the university had come under attack. He said: "It was horrible, I could not believe that university could be targeted."

This is the second education facility to be targeted in just over a week - and in both cases ISIS (Daesh) claimed responsibility.

However, Afghanistan’s outspoken First Vice President Amrullah Saleh has dismissed the Taliban’s claims of not being involved and has blamed the insurgent group for Monday’s attack.

In a tweet early Tuesday morning, Saleh said a Taliban negotiator in Doha stated in an exclusive interview that “only the Taliban have the monopoly over violence against government. There is no one else.”

Saleh went on to say: “Today they shamelessly disclaim responsibility for massacre of Kabul Uni students. Taliban, their allies & backers are responsible.”

Nader Nadery, a member of the Afghan peace talks team also commented on Twitter and said late Tuesday “Kabul University is a symbol of unity & national identity, a home to many generations of Afghans, poor & rich, a compass of moral authority, a place for brotherhood & sisterhood that ties our people together over a century.

“The atrocity committed against it yesterday is an attack on the soul of our nation. While we all are mourning, we must not give in to what terrorists want: we must make sure to keep the door of this sacred place open. This will be the best way to avenge loss of those innocent souls,” Nadery tweeted.

He also stated that those responsible must be brought to justice.

“To end this senseless violence, an immediate ceasefire is a must so a dignified peace could be achieved. We/ IRoA team showed every sign of urgency in this regard, will the other side show the same & prove that it was not them?” he questioned.

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Canada sent 19 failed asylum seekers back to Afghanistan last year

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Canada's border guards sent 19 rejected Afghan asylum seekers back to the country last year despite Otawa’s Temporary Suspension of Removals (TSR) that has been in place for Afghan nationals since 1994.

CBC reported that none of the 19 Afghans had their cases rejected on the basis of safety or security risks. The border service did not however reveal further details.

The border agency said a TSR is meant to "halt removals to a country or place when general conditions, such as armed conflict or an environmental disaster, pose a risk to the entire civilian population."

It also said individuals who were found inadmissible "on grounds of criminality, serious criminality, international or human rights violations, organized crime, or security" can be removed despite a TSR, CBC reported.

The CBSA said the 19 who failed their refugee claims left Canada "voluntarily," and that the Afghans were "aware that they benefit from a stay of removal due to the Temporary Suspension of Removal on Afghanistan but requested to have their removal order enforced despite the legislative stay.

"In other words, the individual was advised that they can remain in Canada until the TSR is lifted and they opted to return to Afghanistan."

Canada has welcomed some 54,000 Afghans since August 2021, surpassing a commitment it made to bring in 40,000 in 2021.

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Trump team compiling list of military officers responsible for US withdrawal from Afghanistan

Trump has on a number of occasions condemned the withdrawal as a “humiliation” and “the most embarrassing day in the history of our country.” 

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The Trump transition team is compiling a list of senior current and former U.S. military officers who were directly involved in the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and exploring whether they could be court-martialed. 
 
NBC reported that the team working on the transition of power between President-elect Donald Trump and outgoing President Joe Biden are considering creating a commission to investigate the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
 
Citing a US official and a person familiar with the plan, NBC stated a commission would then gather information about who was directly involved in the decision-making for the military, how it was carried out, and whether the military leaders could be eligible for charges as serious as treason.
 
“They’re taking it very seriously,” the person with knowledge of the plan said.
 
The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
 
Matt Flynn, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for counternarcotics and global threats, is helping lead the effort, the sources said. 
 
Trump has on a number of occasions condemned the withdrawal as a “humiliation” and “the most embarrassing day in the history of our country.” 
 
NBC reports however that it is not clear what would legally justify “treason” charges since the military officers were following the orders of President Joe Biden to withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
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Ottawa taking detention of Canadian in Afghanistan ‘very seriously’

Lavery helped an estimated 100 Afghans flee Kabul during the chaotic withdrawal of US and allied forces.

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The Canadian government is taking "very seriously" the detention in Afghanistan of a former member of Canada's elite special forces, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday.

Retired soldier David Lavery, known in Kabul as Canadian Dave, was detained by the Islamic Emirate shortly after landing in Kabul on Monday, according to Canadian broadcaster CTV News.

His whereabouts are unknown, the outlet added, citing unnamed sources.

Asked about Lavery, Trudeau said: "I can first of all assure you that the Canadian government is taking very, very seriously the situation."

He also said consular assistance has been provided to Lavery's family.

Lavery helped an estimated 100 Afghans flee Kabul during the chaotic withdrawal of US and allied forces.

He spent decades in the Canadian military and is said to have been a key member of its elite Joint Task Force 2 special operations unit.

More recently, Lavery has reportedly operated a private security firm in Kabul.

The Islamic Emirate has not yet commented.

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