US anti-missile defences have intercepted as many as five rockets that were fired at Kabul’s airport early on Monday morning, a US official said, as the United States rushed to complete its withdrawal from Afghanistan to end its longest war, CNN reported citing anonymous US officials.
Multiple rockets fired at Kabul airport, intercepted by defense system https://t.co/uHypcJsviF
The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the rockets were fired early Monday morning, though it was unclear if all were brought down by the defense system. pic.twitter.com/z6qLAN0rSE
— Ariana News (@ArianaNews_) August 30, 2021
Southfront.org reports that the C-RAM defense system installed at the airport engaged with the rockets, the official said. There are no reports of any casualties at this time.
C-RAM is an automated system that detects incoming attacks and uses a machine gun to destroy the incoming fire before it can hit its target.
The system has been used in Iraq and Afghanistan to intercept and destroy incoming projectiles targeting US forces.
According to the anonymous official, the rockets were launched by ISIS-K, but it was “too early” to know for sure.
Kabul residents said they had heard a blast in the early hours of the morning, though there was no clear indication of the kind of explosion or any official confirmation of the source of the blast.
Photos and videos from the scene show a car that appears to have been used as an improvised rocket launcher.
#KabulAirport: Rockets fired toward Kabul Airport, local reports say rockets were intercepted and exploded in the air dropping shrapnels on the ground… pic.twitter.com/mc4Nx7FFQL
— Rahul Upadhyay (@rahulrajnews) August 30, 2021
The remnants of the car are covered with debris, the glass missing from all windows and rubber melted from the tires. Six large tubes are visible inside the car’s charred skeleton.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement that President Biden had been briefed on “the rocket attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport” (HKIA).
“The President was informed that operations continue uninterrupted at HKIA, and has reconfirmed his order that commanders redouble their efforts to prioritize doing whatever is necessary to protect our forces on the ground,” Psaki added.
Meanwhile, US Congress was briefed on the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Approximately 300 Americans were left in Afghanistan, as well as a few thousand Afghan allies, the US shuttered the doors on its evacuation and the last remaining US troops are leaving the Central Asian country.
congress briefed – gates closed at Kabul airport. 300 plus Americans and 1000s of our afghan allies left behind. STRANDED how can anyone in Biden admin keep their jobs?
— Brian Kilmeade (@kilmeade) August 30, 2021
Finally, while no organization has claimed responsibility for the missile attacks, we remind readers of Pepe Escobar’s overarching thesis that ISIS-Khorasan aims to prove to Afghans and to the outside world that the Taliban cannot secure the capital…