Status: 07/20/2021 4:10 p.m.
In Kabul, rockets have been fired at the Afghan presidential palace – without causing any major damage. The terrorist militia “Islamic State” claims the attack for itself. The security situation in the country is tense.
Three rockets hit the Afghan capital Kabul near the presidential palace. According to the Interior Ministry, there was no major damage, but the non-governmental organization Emergency reported at least six people injured.
President Ashraf Ghani was outside the building at the time of the fire to address the Muslim festival of sacrifice, Eid al-Adha. A video from the broadcaster ToloNews showed how Ghani, Vice President Amrullah Saleh and other high-ranking politicians continued to pray despite the rocket attack.
The police found a completely destroyed car in the area that could have been used as a launch pad. The presidential palace is located in the so-called green zone of Kabul and is secured with barbed wire and concrete walls, among other things. The surrounding streets are cordoned off.
IS claims attack for itself
The terrorist militia “Islamic State” (IS) claimed the missile attack for itself. The IS announced on its platform Nashir News that “soldiers of the caliphate” had attacked the presidential palace. They attacked the palace and targets within the so-called Green Zone of Kabul with seven Katyusha missiles.
The presidential palace was last shot at in March 2020. At that time, too, IS claimed the attack for itself. The terrorist militia recently lost territories, fighters and leaders in Afghanistan. In addition to the Afghan government, the Taliban are also fighting the extremists. According to a UN report from 2020, however, ISIS is still able to carry out attacks in various parts of the country.
Taliban reject responsibility
In a speech shortly after the incident, President Ghani initially blamed the militant Islamist Taliban for the attack. They have neither the will nor the intention to politically resolve the ongoing conflicts, he said. The country cannot be conquered with missiles, but only by winning the hearts of the people.
However, the Taliban said they had nothing to do with the missile attack. Unlike in previous years, they had refused to allow a ceasefire during the festival of sacrifice. A spokesman stressed, however, that the Taliban were only in a defensive mode during this period.
The festival of sacrifice Eid al-Adha is the highest Islamic festival and is celebrated at the climax of the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca.
No breakthrough in the search for peace
Since the start of the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan, the conflict in the country has intensified again. The Taliban are conquering more and more territories. Peace talks with the government have so far remained unsuccessful.
The last round of negotiations in Qatar also ended without compromise. Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, had only returned from Qatar on Monday and was in the presidential palace at the time of the rocket attack, the AP news agency reported.