Quetta's all-female university closed indefinitely after attacks

GlobalPost
The World

Quetta's Sardar Bahadur Khan University has been closed indefinitely after the all-female educational institution suffered deadly twin attacks on Saturday.

"No classes were being taken nor students were visiting university after the Saturday attack," a statement from the university said on Monday.

The closure is seen as a safety precaution, as the Pakistani city has seen many attacks. In Saturday's first incident, a bomb on a university bus killed 14 women. Gunmen then killed 11 other women when they attacked the hospital treating those wounded in the initial attack.

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The site of the five-hour gun battle, the Bolan Medical Complex, has also been closed indefinitely. Nurses, security personnel and a senior city official were among the dead.

Banned extremist Sunni group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) has claimed responsibility for the bombing and gun assault, saying it was one of their female suicide bombers who blew up the university bus carrying the students.

Although police have said they found the severed head of a woman at the scene, they say their investigation will continue in order to conclude if this really was a suicide attack.

Sunday was an official day of mourning in Quetta, but more groups, like the Balochistan Bar Association, declared a strike to mourn the attacks on Monday.

Quetta has long been plagued with violence, which mainly targets the Shiite Muslim minority and is often claimed by the LeJ.

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