US evacuation ops continue uninterrupted at Kabul Airport after rocket attack: White House

Washington [US], August 30 (ANI): The evacuation operations at Kabul airport continue to remain “uninterrupted” following the rocket attack, confirmed the White House on Monday.

In a statement, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said US President Joe Biden was briefed about the rocket attack by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Chief of Staff Ron Klain. “The President was informed that operations continue uninterrupted at HKIA (Hamid Karzai International Airport), and has reconfirmed his order that commanders redouble their efforts to prioritize doing whatever is necessary to protect our forces on the ground,” Psaki said.

On Monday, at least five rockets were fired toward the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, a US official told ABC news. The US military engaged the C-RAM missile defence, but, according to ABC News, it is still unclear whether all of the rockets were successfully intercepted. There have been no initial reports on casualties.

According to video footage from Pajhwok Afghan News and Tolo News reports, the rockets were fired from a car in Kabul’s Khair Khana area toward the airport on Monday morning and hit different parts of the city. The security situation has deteriorated near Kabul airport as the US winds down its evacuation operations. On Thursday, a suicide bomber and multiple ISIS-K gunmen killed 13 U.S. service members and nearly 169 Afghan civilians in the attack at the Kabul airport.

US forces on Sunday conducted an airstrike targeting a suspected ISIS-K suicide bomber who posed an “imminent” threat to the airport. As many as nine people, all members of the same family, were killed in the attack. (ANI)