US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis was target of rocket attack, claims Taliban

US Defense Secretary James Mattis, who is visiting Afghanistan to pledge support for the government, was target of the rocket attack carried out by terrorists at the Kabul airport on Wednesday.

Taliban spokesperson taking responsibility of the attack on Twitter said that the attack was meant to target Mattis’s plane.

However, ISIS has also claimed the rocket attack at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport.

But, Mattis and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg had left the airport almost an hour early before the terrorist started propelling rockets at the Airport.

The Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said around 40 rounds of munitions were fired and out of which 29 were rocket-propelled grenades.

Also read| Kabul: After rocket attack on International Airport, three explosions reported in a span of 25 minutes

Danish added that five people were killed in the attack after one of the rockets struck a home near the airport.

Mattis, Stoltenberg and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in a press conference said, “Attack on an airport anywhere in the world is a criminal act by a terrorist.”

Stoltenberg said, “If NATO forces leave too soon, there is a risk that Afghanistan may once again become a safe haven for international terrorism.”

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The US Defence Secretary said that he wants to reinforce the Taliban that only path to peace and political legitimacy is through negotiation.

He said, “Sooner the Taliban realises that they cannot win with bombs, the sooner the killing will end.” he said.

Mattis also said that the United States will send an additional 3,000 troops to help train the Afghan security forces.

Currently around 8400 US troops as part of the 13,500 strong NATA-led Resolute Support mission advising and training Afghan forces are deployed in Afghanistan.