KABUL – Rockets were fired at Kabul airport on Monday as the US troops rushed to leaving Afghanistan ahead of withdrawal deadline.
A Taliban official told international media he believed that five rockets had been fired, and all were destroyed by US counter-rocket defenses deployed to intercept them.
While there were no reports of fatalities or airport damage from the rocket attacks, the attack caused tension in the capital city.
While no group has claimed immediate responsibility for the rocket attack, the US has repeatedly warned of imminent threats of attacks by Islamic State.
The attack was followed a US drone strike conducted on Sunday in which a a suspect involved in last week Kabul airport attack that killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 200 Afghan civilians.
President Biden, briefed on the rocket attack, “has reconfirmed his order that commanders redouble their efforts to prioritize doing whatever is necessary to protect our forces on the ground,” the White House said. Flight operations at the U.S.-controlled airport continued uninterrupted, it added.
The U.S. military is expected to perform its last evacuations of civilians from the country on Monday, while it will hand over full control of the airport to the Taliban on Tuesday.
Afghan child killed as US military targets house of suspected militant near Kabul airport
