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By KATHY GANNON
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Rocket occurrence seemingly targeting Kabul’s planetary airdrome struck a adjacent vicinity connected Monday, the eve of the deadline for American troops to retreat from the country’s longest warfare aft the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. It wasn’t instantly wide if anyone was hurt.
The rockets did not halt the dependable watercourse of U.S. subject C-17 cargo jets taking disconnected and landing astatine Hamid Karzai International Airport successful the Afghan capital. No radical instantly claimed work for the attack. Last week, the Islamic State radical launched a devastating termination bombing astatine 1 of the airdrome gates that killed astatine slightest 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. work members.
The airdrome repeatedly has been a country of chaos successful the 2 weeks since the Taliban blitz crossed Afghanistan that took power of the country, astir 20 years aft the archetypal U.S. penetration that followed the Sept. 11 violent attacks. But since the termination bombing, the Taliban person tightened their information cordon astir the airfield, with their fighters seen conscionable up to the past fencing separating them from the runway.
In the capital’s Chahr-e-Shaheed neighborhood, a assemblage rapidly gathered astir the remains of a four-door sedan utilized by the attackers, which had what appeared to beryllium six homemade rocket tubes mounted wherever the backseat should be. The Islamic State radical and different militants routinely equine specified tubes into vehicles and softly transport them undetected adjacent to a target.
“I was wrong the location with my children and different household members, abruptly determination were immoderate blasts,” said Jaiuddin Khan, who lives nearby. “We jumped into the location compound and laic connected the ground.”
The rockets landed crossed municipality successful Kabul’s Salim Karwan neighborhood, striking residential flat blocks, witnesses said. That vicinity is immoderate 3 kilometers (1.86 miles) from the airport. There were nary contiguous reports of injuries.
In Washington, the White House issued a connection saying officials briefed President Joe Biden connected “the rocket onslaught astatine Hamid Karzai International Airport” successful Kabul, seemingly referring to the vehicle-based rocket motorboat that morning.
“The president was informed that operations proceed uninterrupted astatine HKIA, and has reconfirmed his bid that commanders redouble their efforts to prioritize doing immoderate is indispensable to support our forces connected the ground,” the connection said, utilizing an acronym for Kabul’s airport.
The U.S. subject did not respond to requests for comment. After the rocket fire, planes continued to onshore and taxi crossed to the bluish subject broadside of the airport. Planes took disconnected astir each 20 minutes astatine 1 constituent Monday morning.
The airdrome had been 1 of the fewer ways retired for foreigners and Afghans fleeing the Taliban takeover. However, conjugation nations person halted their evacuations successful caller days, leaving the U.S. subject mostly unsocial astatine the basal with immoderate remaining allied Afghan forces providing security.
The U.S. State Department released a connection Sunday signed by astir 100 countries, arsenic good arsenic NATO and the European Union, saying they had received “assurances” from the Taliban that radical with question documents would inactive beryllium capable to permission the country.
The Taliban person said they volition let mean question aft the U.S. withdrawal is completed connected Tuesday and they presume power of the airport. However, it remains unclear however the militants volition tally the airdrome and which commercialized carriers volition statesman flying into the tract fixed the ongoing information concerns there.
While the Taliban has honored a pledge not to onslaught Western forces truthful agelong arsenic they evacuate by Tuesday, the menace from the Islamic State’s section affiliate remains a danger. The group, known arsenic the Khorasan Province aft a historical sanction for the region, saw immoderate of its members freed arsenic the Taliban released prisoners crossed the state during their takeover.
On Sunday, a U.S. drone onslaught blew up a conveyance carrying Islamic State termination bombers earlier they could onslaught the ongoing subject evacuation astatine Kabul’s airport, American officials said. An Afghan authoritative said 3 children were killed successful the strike.
U.S. Navy Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesperson for the American military’s Central Command, acknowledged the reports of civilian casualties.
“We would beryllium profoundly saddened by immoderate imaginable nonaccomplishment of guiltless life,” helium said successful a statement.
The U.S. carried retired different drone onslaught elsewhere successful the state connected Saturday that it said killed 2 Islamic State members.
By Tuesday, the U.S. is acceptable to reason a monolithic two-week-long airlift of much than 114,000 Afghans and foreigners and retreat the past of its troops, ending America’s longest warfare with the Taliban backmost successful power.
However, Afghans stay fearful of the Taliban returning to the oppressive regularisation for which it was erstwhile known. There person been sporadic reports of killings and different abuses successful the expanse crossed the country.
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Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell successful Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Lou Kesten successful Washington contributed to this report.
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