Rockets struck a neighbourhood near Kabul’s international airport on Monday amid the ongoing US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The rocket attack was claimed by the Afghanistan affiliate of the so-called Islamic State. It wasn’t immediately clear if anyone was hurt.
It comes as the leaders of France, Britain and Germany prepare to call for a safe evacuation zone to be made secure at Kabul airport after the US military withdrawal.
The rockets on Monday morning struck in Kabul’s Salim Karwan neighbourhood — some 3 kilometres from the airport. Gunfire immediately followed the explosions but it wasn’t immediately clear who was firing.
A witness who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals said they heard the sound of three explosions and then saw a flash, like fire, in the sky.
In a statement, the White House said that “operations continue uninterrupted” at Kabul airport. Planes took off roughly every 20 minutes at one point Monday morning.
On Sunday, a US drone strike blew up a vehicle carrying “multiple suicide bombers” from Afghanistan’s Islamic State affiliate before they could attack the ongoing military evacuation at Kabul’s international airport, American officials said. An Afghan official said three children were killed in the strike.
The US is to withdraw from Afghanistan by Tuesday. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is to hold a virtual ministerial meeting with key partners on Monday at 20:30 CEST.
