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Afghan militants have unsuccessfully attempted to shoot a plane carrying the US defence secretary, James Mattis, during an attack on Kabul airport.
The south end of Camp Sullivan, a US embassy compound near the international airport, was hit by what appeared to be rocket-propelled grenades or mortars.
Mattis, who was visiting Kabul with the Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, had arrived before the attack took place and there was no indication he was in danger at any point.
A weapons depot caught fire during the assault, triggering explosions. Additional attackers fired small arms at three military entrances to the airport.
At least five civilians were wounded, officials said. Two US and one Afghan military aircraft were reportedly damaged, along with a civilian plane.
In a statement, the Taliban claimed responsibility, saying it had targeted Mattis’s plane. Islamic State later issued a competing claim of responsibility.
Mattis and Stoltenberg were in Kabul on Wednesday to meet Afghan officials and discuss strategy for a war to which Donald Trump has tied the US for an indefinite period.
On Tuesday Mattis visited Delhi where he sought greater involvement from India in the Afghan conflict. He also vowed to clamp down on militant sanctuaries, in line with Trump’s recently announced south Asia strategy.
The US president has signalled a tougher line on Pakistan, which Washington and Delhi accuse of harbouring terrorists to target Afghanistan and India.
In Kabul, Mattis said he would speak frankly with Pakistan about it providing safe havens for militant groups. He also reiterated pledges to send helicopters to beef up the ageing fleet of the Afghan air force, seen as a crucial step to making Afghan armed forces self-reliant.
This month Afghanistan received the first four US Black Hawk helicopters as part of that plan. Under the Trump strategy, nearly 4,000 additional US troops are expected to be deployed to Afghanistan.
In a separate incident on Wednesday, three rockets were reported to have hit the national election commission’s headquarters in Kabul, fired from the nearby residential area of Qala Ali Mardan.
(GUARDIAN)
