KABUL -- Afghan students protesting against poor university conditions and police handling of an uprising which left at least two dead gathered for a third day in Kabul Wednesday.

Around 2,000 students initially assembled outside the gates of Kabul University, refusing to attend lessons until their demands for improved accommodation and justice for those who died were met, AFP reported.

State media said two people were killed by police in a protest on Monday as 3,000 rock-throwing students vented anger at living in dormitories without food, electricity or water.

The demonstrations come exactly a year after Kabul was liberated from the hardline Taleban regime by a U.S.-led military coalition.

A second day of protest Tuesday turned to chaos as riot police opened fire on gathered crowds, leading to running battles across the campus. Students say at least six people died in the two days of unrest.

Wednesday's demonstration appeared more muted with many students apparently mollified by government pledges to improve conditions and investigate the police handling of the situation.

Large numbers of police were again present on campus and were reported to be blocking access to the campus.

After an initial gathering, many students began dispersing, although a hardcore of protesters remained to press home their demands.

A spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) which patrols Kabul said the peacekeeping body had received no calls from the Afghan government to assist in controlling the situation.

Some residents of a university dormitory at the center of the dispute were said to have packed their bags and left for home.

"The university should be closed because if we start going to classes then the government will do nothing about those people who have died and the killers will not be brought to justice," said third year student Anwar. Gul Rahman, a second year student, added: "Losing a week or two in lessons is nothing, we can always get them back. Losing these people is a big deal, they can never be returned to us."

But Abdul Jabar Sadiqi, another student, said lessons should begin again as the protests were futile. "We should go back to university to start our classes because with protests and demonstrations we will get nothing. The government is ready to listen to all our problems and negotiate."

The demonstrations, which appear to have been caused by rising tensions over lack of facilities during the Muslim fasting month of Ramazan and ahead of final exams, have also been blamed on ethnic frictions at the university.

Many of the poorer students, who live in the troubled dormitory, are from areas dominated by ethnic Pashtuns from former Taleban strongholds, while the university is dominated by ethnic Tajiks.

Afzal Aman, deputy chief of Kabul's garrison, on Tuesday said the situation may have been inflamed by Pashtuns belonging to the Taleban or the Al-Qaeda terror network of Osama bin Laden.

"Inshalla (God willing) there is not any political reason for this demonstration. Of course, during the Taleban time there were lots of people studying here who were trained to fight by Al-Qaeda. "Maybe there are a number here who will use the situation to their benefit."

But students denied any connection to extremist organizations, insisting it was purely a demonstration against the dormitory conditions.

"There were no people from Al-Qaeda it was just an excuse from the government. We had no weapons, no guns it was such a big lie," Rahmantullah, a Pastun student, told AFP.