WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 (Reuters) – As many as five rockets were fired at Kabul International Airport but were intercepted by a missile defense system, a U.S. official told Reuters as the United States they are approaching the complete withdrawal of their troops from the city.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the rockets were fired Monday morning at Kabul time, although it was unclear whether they had all been shot down by the defense system.
Initial reports did not indicate any casualties in the U.S., but that information could change, the official said.
Earlier Sunday, U.S. forces launched a drone attack on Kabul against a suicide bomber from a vehicle aimed at attacking the airport.
There is growing concern that Islamic State militants are launching new attacks at the airport as U.S. troops rush to evacuate the remaining U.S. citizens and Afghans at risk before competing with the US government. his own retreat on 31 August.
Officials had warned in the past that ISIS-K militants were looking to target the airport with rockets. But the United States has experience in fighting these rockets, mostly in Iraq, and had already installed missile defense systems.
“We know they (ISIS-K) would like to launch a rocket there, if they could,” General Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, told reporters in Washington last week.
“Now we actually have good protection against that. We have our anti-rocket and mortar system,” McKenzie said.
There is more concern about suicide bombers and car bombs attacking the airport, following a suicide attack on Thursday that killed dozens of Afghans and 13 members of the US service.
On Saturday, U.S. President Joe Biden said the situation on the ground was still extremely dangerous and that his military leaders had told him it was very likely that there would be another militant attack in the next 24-36 hours. .
Ali Ideas Reports; Editing by Tom Hogue and Simon Cameron-Moore
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