Rockets fired at Kabul airport, after US strikes car bomb
Several rockets were fired at the Kabul airport on Monday, according to witnesses and security sources cited by news agency AFP. As many as five rockets were fired, though it remains unclear whether all of them were intercepted by the United States defense system, an official said. The attack comes hours after the US said it struck a car bomb destined for the airport.
Rockets launched from a vehicle in north Kabul
A security official who worked in the ousted Afghanistan government said the rockets had been launched from a vehicle in north Kabul. Further, the sound of the airport's missile defense system could be heard by local residents, AFP reported. Smoke was seen rising above buildings near the airport and one vehicle had caught fire, according to unverified social media posts.
US said it struck an explosives-laden vehicle on Sunday
US President Joe Biden had warned that more terror attacks were likely at the airport where a massive airlift of foreigners and Afghan allies is underway since the past two weeks. Notably, US had said on Sunday that it carried out an air strike on an explosives-laden vehicle headed toward the Kabul airport, potentially averting another major attack.
Earlier, 6 were killed in rocket attack near airport
On Sunday afternoon, a rocket hit a residential building in the Gulai area near the Kabul airport. Six people, including a child, were killed while some others got injured. The attack came just two days before the August 31 deadline for evacuations from Afghanistan. Earlier, more than 100, including 13 US soldiers, were killed in a blast outside the Kabul airport, claimed by ISIS-K.
US evacuated 1,14,000 people in the past 2 weeks
Since August 14, the US has evacuated or facilitated the evacuation of around 1,14,400 people. It has also airlifted all local Afghan staff members at American embassies in Afghanistan along with their families, as per reports.
Taliban took control of Afghanistan this month
The Taliban, a group of insurgents designated as terrorists by many countries, regained control of Afghanistan earlier this month, bringing an end to the 20-year-long war. After the takeover, countries began evacuating their troops and citizens, even as thousands of Afghans swarmed the Kabul airport making desperate attempts to flee the Taliban rule. However, the insurgents are yet to form a government.
