On the morning of August 30, 2021, as the US departure from Afghanistan neared its end, missile defense systems shot down up to five missiles aimed at Kabul's airport.
ISIS Claimed the Rocket Attack
In a recently published article in Sky News, on the eve of the deadline for U.S. forces to leave Afghanistan, a rocket assault on Kabul Airport was launched. Soldiers of the Caliphate attacked Kabul International Airport with six Katyusha rockets, Islamic State claimed credit for the early morning strike on Monday.
Major General William 'Hank' Taylor at a Pentagon briefing said that there were as many as five rockets were launched. He said that three had landed off the airport with little impact, one had been intercepted by an anti-missile system, and the third had landed with no effect on the operation or any threat to our troops.
Although no casualties have been recorded, some of Monday's rocket fire seemed to strike a residential neighborhood near the airport, hitting apartment complexes. However, the missiles did not deter U.S. military planes from departing the airfield, according to a published report in DW.
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Counter-Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar (C-RAM) Effectively Intercepted the Rockets
Taylor said C-RAM was able to block one of the rockets' attacks, while the other rocket landed without causing any damage to the mission or posing any risk to any troops. The C-RAM force protection performed its job. It did engage the one and had an impact on him. C-RAM was successful in intercepting one. He emphasized how successful the C-RAM was
According to Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, the missile that fell inside the airport "had no impact whatsoever." Meanwhile, according to the White House, national security advisor Jake Sullivan and chief of staff Ron Klain briefed President Biden on the recent rocket attack, according to a published article in The Hill.
The rocket assault came only one day after a U.S. drone hit a vehicle carrying explosives on its way to the Kabul airport, and less than a week after a suicide bomber targeted the airport. According to U.S. Navy Capt. Bill Urban, hitting the truck removed "an immediate ISIS-K danger" and "large secondary explosions from the vehicle indicated the existence of a considerable quantity of explosive material."
Rocket Attack on Sunday Killed a Child
According to The Associated Press, which quoted an Afghan police commander, a kid was killed in a rocket assault on Sunday northwest of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. Following the Taliban's recent takeover of Afghanistan, the U.S. military is winding down its attempts to evacuate tens of thousands of US civilians and Afghan friends.
In a statement from the U.S. Central Command, the U.S. is aware of allegations of civilian deaths and is evaluating the strike's effects. According to Central Command spokesperson Navy Capt. William Urban, the vehicle's destruction resulted in "large and strong" following explosions, which may have resulted in more fatalities.
Furthermore, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a security notice late Saturday, urging Americans near the airport to evacuate the area "immediately" due to a "particular, credible threat." President Biden claimed he was told by authorities that an assault on the airport was "very probable in the next 24-36 hours" hours before the warning.
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