Kabul: 3 rockets landed near presidential palace during Eid prayers
Monitoring Desk :
At least three rockets fired from an undisclosed location and landed near the presidential palace on Tuesday morning. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, former President Hamid Karzai and other high-level officials were offering eid prayer in a garden of the palace when rockets landed.
No casualties were reported as a result of the rocket attack.
Although there was no immediate claim of responsibility, it was the first rocket attack on Kabul since the Taliban launched a series of offensives to coincide with the final drawdown of foreign troops from the war-wracked country.
Video by national TV shows the moment rockets landed near the Presidential Palace during Eid prayers this morning. pic.twitter.com/WmEniyfLfM
— TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) July 20, 2021
The early morning holiday calm was shattered by the sound of incoming rockets heard across the heavily fortified Green Zone that houses the presidential palace and several embassies, including the US mission.
In a video posted on the official palace Facebook page, dozens of men can be seen continuing with their prayers even as the rockets are heard overhead and exploding nearby.
President Ghani, dressed in traditional Afghan clothing and a turban, stands at the front and appears to not even flinch as the crowd bows together. “The Taliban have proved that they have no will and intention for peace,” he said in a speech afterward.
News Agencies
