Kabul, Afghanistan: At least three rockets landed near the Afghan Presidential Palace on Tuesday as Ashraf Ghani and a group of other leaders marked the start of the Eid al-Adha Muslim vacation with prayers in the park.
Although there was no direct claim to responsibility, it was the first rocket attack in Kabul since the Taliban launched a series of attacks to coincide with the withdrawal of the final of the foreign forces of the country sedated.
The morning holiday was destroyed by the sound of rocket which was heard throughout the enriched green zone that accommodated the presidential palace and several embassies, including the US mission.
In a video posted on the official Facebook Palace page, dozens of men can be seen continuing with their prayers even when the rocket sounds overhead and explodes nearby.
President Ghani, wearing traditional Afghan and turban clothes, standing in front and it seems not even jerking when the crowd bent together.
“The Taliban has proven that they do not have the will and intention for peace,” he said in a speech afterwards.
Ministry of Home Affairs spokesman Mirwais Stanikzai said three rockets seemed to have been fired from pickup trucks. Someone did not blow up, he said.
“Based on our initial information, we have no victims,” he added.
The palace was attacked last year because hundreds of people gathered to watch the Ghani inauguration ceremony, pushing some to escape.
Jihadist Islamic State Group (IS) claims responsibility for the attack, without the victim’s report.
Tuesday’s attack coincided with the attacks of the Taliban which swept throughout the country when foreign forces ended with the withdrawal of troops scheduled for completion on August 31.
It also came one day after more than a dozen diplomatic missions in Kabul called for “urgent end” to the cruel military attacks of the rebels, saying it was contrary to the claims they wanted to end the conflict.
The statement followed another round of disobedient conversation in Doha during the weekend between the Afghan government and a largely expected Taliban would begin a painful peace process.
“It has resulted in the loss of innocent Afghan lovers, including through sustainable targeted murders, the displacement of civilians, looting and building buildings, vital infrastructure destruction, and damage to communication networks.”
For months, both parties have met and went in Qatarmal Qatar but had reached a little, with talks seemed to have lost momentum when militants made Battlefield benefit.
Joint statements on Sunday said they have agreed to the need to achieve “only solutions”, and to meet again next week.
“We also agreed that there should be no pause in negotiations,” Abdullah Abdullah, who oversees the Delegation of the Afghanistan government, told AFP on Monday.
He noted, however, that no party is currently pursuing a joint ceasefire during the conversation, although there is an urgent call from Afghan civil society and the international community to end the battle.
Taliban and the government had previously announced a ceasefire during a religious vacation.
After the weekend’s summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that his government hoped to start talks with the Taliban for the rejection of the group to let Ankara run Kabul airport after US forces withdrew from Afghanistan.
Turkey has negotiated with US defense officials on the offer to secure the airport, which is the key to allowing the state to maintain a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan after withdrawal of troops.
Last week, the Taliban called Turkey’s offer “despicable”.
The battle, meanwhile, continued in Afghanistan, with the Taliban and the government claimed to increase in various parts of the country.
During the weekend, the highest leader of Taliban Hibatullah Akhundzada said he was “strongly supporting” political settlement – even when the hardline Islamic movement continued his attack.