Rockets fired at Kabul airport intercepted by US missile defence
IANS
Aug 30, 2021 12:18
0
Kabul/New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS) Rockets fired towards the Kabul international airport were reportedly intercepted by a US missile defence system on Monday, the BBC reported.
The White House confirmed the attack, but said that its ongoing evacuations would "continue uninterrupted".
The incident comes a day after a US drone strike thwarted what officials said was another attack on the airport, the BBC report said.
The US is planning to withdraw its troops and complete evacuations from Afghanistan by Tuesday.
On Monday morning, Afghan media reported that five rockets were launched from a car, flying over Kabul towards the airport.
A US official told a news wire that their anti-missile defence system had intercepted the rockets.
Video and pictures carried by local news outlets showed smoke wafting across the rooftops of Kabul, and what appeared to be a burning car on a street.
The White House said President Joe Biden was briefed on the rocket attack.
"The President was informed that operations continue uninterrupted at HKIA (Kabul airport), and has reconfirmed his order that commanders redouble their efforts to prioritize doing whatever is necessary to protect our forces on the ground," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement, the report said.
No US or Afghan casualties have been reported so far from Monday's incident.
