In a statement issued through his deputy spokesperson, Farhan Haq, Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his “deepest sympathies to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured”.

Gunmen disguised as police officers stormed the University in the Afghan capital, taking hostages, killing at some 20 people and wounding more than a dozen others, according to news reports.

The six-hour siege ended after three assailants were killed, the Interior Ministry said.

Censure the guilty

“This appalling attack, the second in ten days on a school facility in Kabul, is also an assault on the human right to education”, the statement said.

The Secretary-General reiterated that “those responsible must be held accountable”.

“The United Nations stands by the people and Government of Afghanistan in support of their long-held aspirations for peace”, he concluded.