KABUL: More than 30 rockets were fired on Kabul international airport in attacks reportedly lasting more than six hours on Wednesday. The bombardment took place just hours after US Defense Secretary James Mattis and NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg arrived in Afghanistan on an unannounced visit.
One resident was killed and 11 others were wounded, the Interior Ministry said. One salvo, according to police sources, included at least 12 rockets originating from two locations — to the east and northeast of the airport. It was the first major attack on the airport for many years. All flights were canceled.
The Taliban claimed responsibility and said Mattis was the target of the attack. Daesh also claimed responsibility. Both Mattis and Stoltenberg had already left the airport before the attack, Najib Danish, spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry, told CNN.
The defense secretary was visiting Kabul for talks with President Ahsraf Ghani, their first such meeting since US President Donald Trump announced his new strategy for Afghanistan in late August that included increased action against the Taliban who have gained ground in various parts of the country in recent months.
Both Mattis and Stoltenberg appeared at a press conference with Ghani, who described the rocket strike as a sign of the Taliban’s “weakness, not strength.”
“I want to reiterate to the Taliban that the only path to peace and political legitimacy for them is through a negotiated settlement,” Mattis said at the press conference.
Afghan officials said that Mattis and Stoltenberg spoke with Ghani about plans to strengthen Afghanistan’s military.
Trump has urged NATO allies to step up contributions of both troops and funding to the Afghanistan mission. Stoltenberg said the credibility of the international alliance depended on maintaining its support, adding that the coalition realized the importance of staying in Afghanistan.
Mattis also urged Pakistan to join the US in its new strategy for South Asia in the campaign against terrorism, describing it as a “good opportunity” for Islamabad.
Ghani also said: “It is a golden opportunity for (Pakistan),” adding that, if the peace process with the Taliban bears fruit, it will be a major boost for the fight against terrorism.
Stoltenberg urged the Taliban to join the peace process, saying they “cannot win on the battlefield.”
He added that NATO is aware of the cost of staying in Afghanistan, but explained, “The cost of leaving would be higher. If NATO forces leave too soon, there is a risk Afghanistan may return to a state of chaos and once again become a safe haven for international terrorism.”
Najib Mahmoud, a professor at Kabul University’s Law and Political Science faculty, believes it was a coincidence that the attack coincided with Mattis’ visit, and that the Taliban claimed he was the target to make it appear as though they had prior knowledge of his officially unannounced arrival.
“The Taliban and their supporters want to pass on two messages with the attack; their opposition to (Trump’s) strategy and to show the weakness of Afghanistan’s intelligence for not being able to discover and foil the attack in advance,” Mahmoud said.
He pointed out that Mattis’ Kabul trip followed his visit to India, during which “he urged Indian authorities to get more engaged in Afghanistan.” The arrival of Mattis and the NATO secretary general in the country would deliver “a serious message to the militants and the region,” said Mahmoud said.
Taliban claim responsibility for Kabul airport attack during Mattis visit
Taliban claim responsibility for Kabul airport attack during Mattis visit
’Content to die’: Afghanistan’s hunger crisis worsened by winter, aid cuts
- As winter spreads across Afghanistan’s arid landscape, work opportunities have dried up, while the wave of returning Afghans has swelled the population by a tenth, said Aylieff of WFP
- “Last year was the biggest malnutrition surge ever recorded in Afghanistan and sadly the prediction is that it’s going to get worse“
KABUL: In the dull glow of a single bulb lighting their tent on the outskirts of Kabul, Samiullah and his wife Bibi Rehana sit down to dry bread and tea, their only meal of the day, accompanied by their five children and three-month-old grandchild.
“We have reached a point where we are content with death,” said 55-year-old Samiullah, whose family, including two older sons aged 18 and 20 and their wives, is among the millions deported by neighboring Iran and Pakistan in the past year.
“Day by day, things are getting worse,” he added, after their return to a war-torn nation where the United Nations’ World Food Programme estimates 17 million battle acute hunger after massive cuts in international aid.
“Whatever happens to us has happened, but at least our children’s lives should be better.”
He was one of the returned Afghans speaking before protests in Iran sparked a massive crackdown by the clerical establishment, killing more than 2,000 in ensuing violence.
Samiullah said his family went virtually overnight from its modest home in Iran to their makeshift tent, partially propped up by rocks and rubble, after a raid by Iranian authorities led to their arrests and then deportation.
They salvaged a few belongings but were not able to carry out all their savings, which would have carried them through the winter, Samiullah added.
Reuters was unable to reach authorities in Iran for comment.
“Migrants who are newly returning to the country receive assistance as much as possible,” said Afghan administration spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid, in areas from transport to housing, health care and food.
It was impossible to eradicate poverty quickly in a country that suffered 40 years of conflict and the loss of all its revenue and resources, he added in a statement, despite an extensive rebuilding effort.
“Economic programs take time and do not have an immediate impact on people’s lives.”
The WFP says Iran and Pakistan have expelled more than 2.5 million Afghans in massive repatriation programs.
Tehran ramped up deportations last year amid a flurry of accusations that they were spying for Israel. Authorities blamed the expulsions on concerns about security and resources.
Islamabad accelerated deportations amid accusations that the Taliban was harboring militants responsible for cross-border attacks on Pakistani soil, allegations Afghanistan has denied.
NO INCOME, NO AID
As winter spreads across Afghanistan’s arid landscape, work opportunities have dried up, while the wave of returning Afghans has swelled the population by a tenth, said John Aylieff, the WFP’s country director.
“Many of these Afghans were working in Iran and Pakistan and they were sending back remittances,” he told Reuters, adding that 3 million more people now face acute hunger. “Those remittances were a lifeline for Afghanistan.”
Cuts to global programs since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House have sapped the resources of organizations such as the WFP, while other donor countries have also scaled back, putting millions at risk worldwide.
“Last year was the biggest malnutrition surge ever recorded in Afghanistan and sadly the prediction is that it’s going to get worse,” added Aylieff, estimating that 200,000 more children would suffer acute malnourishment in 2026.
At the WFP’s aid distribution site in Bamiyan, about 180 km (111 miles) from Kabul, the capital, are stacks of rice bags and jugs of palm oil, while wheelbarrows trundle in more food, but it is still too little for the long queues of people.
“I am forced to manage the winter with these supplies; sometimes we eat, sometimes we don’t,” said Zahra Ahmadi, 50, a widowed mother of eight daughters, as she received aid for the first time.
’LIFE NEVER REMAINS THE SAME’
At the Qasaba Clinic in the capital, mothers soothed their children during the wait for medicine and supplements.
“Compared to the time when there were no migrants, the number of our patients has now doubled,” said Dr. Rabia Rahimi Yadgari.
The clinic treats about 30 cases of malnutrition each day but the supplements are not sufficient to sustain the families, who previously relied on WFP aid and hospital support, she said.
Laila, 30, said her son, Abdul Rahman, showed signs of recovery after taking the supplements.
“But after some time, he loses the weight again,” she said.
After the Taliban takeover, she said, “My husband lost his (government) job, and gradually our economic situation collapsed. Life never remains the same.”
The United States led a hasty withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan in July 2021, after 20 years of war against the Taliban, opening the doors for the Islamists to take control of Kabul.
As dusk gathers and the temperature falls, Samiullah brings in firewood and Bibi Rehama lights a stove for warmth.
“At night, when it gets very cold, my children say, ‘Father, I’m cold, I’m freezing.’ I hold them in my arms and say, ‘It’s OK.’ What choice do we have?” Samiullah said.
“(When) I worked in Iran, at least I could provide a full meal. Here, there is neither work nor livelihood.”
