On Tuesday after the speech by President Ashraf Ghani marking the start of Muslim holidays of Eid al-Azha, at least three rockets landed in the Afghan capital.
Although the responsibility was not immediately claimed, it was the very first rocket attack on Kabul, after a series of offensives were initiated by the Taliban in conjunction with the last deployment by the foreign soldiers from the war-torn country.
The sound of approaching missiles over the protected Green Zone, which houses the presidential palace and other embassies, including the US mission, disrupted the peaceful early morning holidays.
The Interior Ministry spokesman Mirwais Stanikzai stated, “All the rockets hit three separate parts.
He reported that a pickup truck had fired three rockets. He said that.
“We have no casualties on the basis of our early information.”
Minutes after the incident, in the presence of some of his leading officials, Ghani started a speech to the nation.
Hundreds of people gathered to watch President Ashraf Ghani’s opening ceremony last year, leading some people to flee the Presidential Palace.
The Islamic State terrorist group (IS), with no reports of injuries, claimed to be responsible for the two bombs.
The strike on Tuesday coincides with the massive push by the Taliban throughout the country, with Western forces withdrawing a deployment set for August 31.
The same thing happened one day after a dozen diplomatic missions in Kabul called for a “immediate end” to the savage military attack of the rebels. The assertions that they wanted to reach a policy settlement to put an end to the fighting contradicted it.
The declaration followed another round of fruitless discussions between the Afghan Government and the Taliban in Doha over the weekend, which many anticipated would initiate the painful peace process.
LITTLE PROGRESS
“The offensive of the Taliban is directly contrary to their claim to support a peaceful settlement,” the statement reads.
“Through continuous targeted executions, displaced civil population, looting and branding in buildings, destruction of critical infrastructure and damage to communications networks it has been the loss of innocent Afghan lives.”
For months, the two parties have been meeting on and off in the Qatari capital but have produced nothing, with discussions appearing to have lost pace as the militants make military victories.
A joint statement by Sunday indicated that they agreed that a ‘fair solution’ must be found and that next week they will meet again.
Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan government delegation, told the AFP on Monday, “we also agreed there should be no break in the negotiations.”
He pointed out, however, that, despite urgent pleas by Afghan civil society and the international world to put a halt to the war, neither party has been pursuing a common ceasefire during the negotiations.
During religious holidays the Taliban and the government proclaimed cessations.
At the close of the weekend summit Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish president, declared that his administration planned to start negotiations with the Taliban regarding Ankara’s unwillingness to allow Kabul Airport to operate after US soldiers withdrew from Afghanistan.
Turkey has been in talks with US defense officials about securing the airport, which is crucial for countries wanting to keep diplomatic missions in Afghanistan after the troops leave.
The Taliban hailed the Turkish bid last week “understandable.”
Fights in Afghanistan continued, with both the Taliban and government advances in different sections of the nation. The fighting persisted.
Over the weekend Hibatullah Akhunzada, the Taliban’s top leader, stated he “strenuously favors,” even though the Islamic hardline outfit continues to attack.
As Western soldiers prepare to leave by late August, the Taliban have begun gaining districts, seizing border crossings, and surrounding provincial capitals.
The State Department announced in Washington that 700 interpreters and their immediate family members fleeing Afghanistan will be transferred to an army installation in Virginia.
