Following warnings from both the US and the Taliban that another terror attack in Kabul was imminent, a blast was reported in the city. In what could be a separate incident, the US also carried out an airstrike on a suspected IS-K terrorist attempting a suicide attack on the Kabul airport.
Television footage showed black smoke rising into the sky. A video shared on social media showed children running away from the smoke.
JUST IN - Explosion rocks #Kabul. The blast hit a residential building west of the airport. Cause unclear.pic.twitter.com/vzh7T651KM
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) August 29, 2021
Two witnesses said the blast appeared to have been caused by a rocket that hit a house in an area to the northern side of the airport but there was no immediate confirmation, Reuters reported. AP later quoted a local police chief saying a child had been killed.
The rocket struck Kabul’s Khuwja Bughra neighborhood, Kabul police chief Rashid told AP. No group immediately claimed the attack, however militants have fired rockets in the past.
Also on Sunday, US military forces conducted a self-defence unmanned over-the-horizon airstrike today on a vehicle in Kabul, eliminating an "imminent ISIS-K threat to Hamid Karzai International airport," said Capt Bill Urban, spokesman of the US Central Command.
"We are confident we successfully hit the target. Significant secondary explosions from the vehicle indicated the presence of a substantial amount of explosive material," Urban said.
The US is assessing the possibilities of civilian casualties, though it has no indications at this time. "We remain vigilant for potential future threats," Urban said in a statement.
The attack comes as the United States winds down a historic airlift that saw tens of thousands evacuated from Kabul's international airport, the scene of much of the chaos that engulfed the Afghan capital since the Taliban took over two weeks ago.
After an Islamic State affiliate's suicide attack that killed over 180 people, the Taliban increased its security around the airfield as Britain ended its evacuation flights Saturday.
US military cargo planes continued their runs into the airport Sunday, ahead of a Tuesday deadline earlier set by President Joe Biden to withdraw all troops from America's longest war. However, Afghans remaining behind in the country worry about the Taliban reverting to their earlier oppressive rule something fueled by the recent shooting death of a folk singer in the country by the insurgents.
Zabihullah Mujahid said in a message to journalists that the strike targeted the bomber as he drove a vehicle loaded with explosives. Mujahid offered few other details.
US military officials could not be immediately reached for comment.
The rocket attack meanwhile struck Kabul's Khuwja Bughra neighbourhood, said Rashid, the Kabul police chief who goes by one name. Video obtained by The Associated Press in the aftermath of the attack showed smoke rising from building at the site around a kilometer (half a mile) from the airport.
No group immediately claimed the attack, however militants have fired rockets in the past.
The US had warned of a “specific, credible threat” near the Kabul airport on Sunday, with President Joe Biden saying his commanders had informed him of another attack being “highly likely in the next 24-36 hours”.
With inputs from PTI
