At least eight people were killed and 31 wounded Saturday morning (Nov. 21) when some two dozen rockets were fired at the center of Kabul, Afghan officials said.
Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said the rockets were fired from the back of two cars and hit various parts of the capital.
The Iranian embassy in Kabul said one of the rockets landed in the embassy compound.
“Fortunately, there were no casualties and all embassy staff are safe and sound,” Iran’s diplomatic mission in Afghanistan said in a tweet.
Earlier this month, three Islamic State militants wearing suicide undershirts attacked Kabul University, killing 22 people, most of them Afghan students. The Iranian ambassador was also on campus at the time of the attack, but was not injured.
A spokesman for the Taliban insurgency quickly denied the group’s involvement in the deadly attack, raising suspicions that the Islamic State may have been behind the attack.
“The Islamic State terrorist group had claimed responsibility for a similar rocket attack in March that targeted the inauguration of the Afghan president in Kabul.
The violence comes just hours after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is scheduled to meet separately with Taliban and Afghan government negotiators in Doha, Qatar.
Since early September, the two opposing sides in Afghanistan have been engaged in U.S.-facilitated peace talks, but the process has stalled over a dispute over the framework.
Pompeo is currently on a seven-nation tour of Europe and the Middle East. Pompeo will also meet with Qatari leaders during his stay in Doha, where the Taliban has a political office, the State Department said Friday (Nov. 20).
Acting U.S. Ambassador to Kabul Ross Wilson condemned the rocket attack.
He tweeted, “The Afghan people should not have to live in fear. My condolences to the victims and wounded and their families …… The United States will continue to work with our Afghan partners to prevent such attacks and hold the perpetrators accountable.”
Saturday’s rocket attack on Kabul coincided with a recent surge in armed clashes between Afghan security forces and Taliban insurgents. Dozens of participants and civilians from both sides have died in November alone.
Recent Comments