Download
Rockets fired on Afghan presidential palace, failing to hit target
Updated 14:01, 20-Jul-2021
CGTN

Several rockets landed near the Presidential Palace in Afghan capital Kabul during the Eid festival prayers attended by President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and other dignitaries on Tuesday, according to state-run TV live broadcast.

No casualties have been reported so far. Media reports said explosions occurred near the Presidential Palace. 

The rockets, fired at around 8 a.m. (0330 GMT), were heard across the heavily fortified Green Zone that houses the palace and several embassies, including the U.S. mission.

"Three rockets were fired from a vehicle abandoned on a road in Parwan-e-Sah locality in Police District (PD) 4. The rockets struck areas near the Presidential Palace in PD 1 and PD 2," an Interior Ministry official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

"There is fear of casualties outside the palace. The incident failed to disrupt the Eid prayers held in the Presidential Palace," the source said.

The prayers continued amid the sound of explosions, and Ghani later delivered a speech from an outdoor podium, broadcast on local media.

It is not immediately clear who was behind the attack.

Insecurity has been growing in Afghanistan since U.S. troops began their final withdrawal from the country in early May after nearly 20 years of fighting.

(With input from agencies)

(Cover: Afghanistan's flag flies over the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, April 24, 2017. /Getty)

4184km

Search Trends