Voice of America
21 Nov 2020, 16:05 GMT+10
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN - Officials in Afghanistan say about two dozen mortar shells hit downtown Kabul on Saturday morning, killing at least eight people and injuring 31 more.
Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said the rockets were fired from the back of two vehicles and slammed into different parts of the capital.
A spokesperson for the Taliban insurgent group quickly denied its involvement in the deadly attack, raising suspicions the Islamic State could be behind it.
The terrorist outfit had taken responsibility for a similar rocket attack in March that targeted the presidential inauguration in Kabul.
The violence came just hours before U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was due to meet separately with negotiators from the Taliban and the Afghan government in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
The Afghan rivals have been engaged in a U.S.-brokered peace dialogue since early September, but the process is deadlocked over framework-related disputes.
Pompeo is on a seven-nation tour of Europe and the Middle East. The State Department said Friday the chief U.S. diplomat will also see Qatari leaders on his stop in Doha, where the Taliban maintains its politic office.
The U.S. acting ambassador in Kabul, Ross Wilson, condemned the rocket attack.
"Afghans should not have to live in terror. My condolences to the victims and those families of those killed and wounded. ... The United States will continue to work with our Afghan partners to prevent such attacks and hold their perpetrators to account," Wilson tweeted.
Saturday's barrage of rockets on Kabul comes amid recent spike in battlefield between Afghan security forces and Taliban insurgents, killing scores of combatants on both sides and civilians in November alone.
Get a daily dose of Central Asia Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Central Asia Times.
More InformationWASHINGTON, D.C.: Travelers at U.S. airports will no longer need to remove their shoes during security screenings, Department of Homeland...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: An elaborate impersonation scheme involving artificial intelligence targeted senior U.S. and foreign officials in...
SLUBICE, Poland: Poland reinstated border controls with Germany and Lithuania on July 7, following Germany's earlier reintroduction...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: After months of warnings from former federal officials and weather experts, the deadly flash floods that struck the...
MOSCOW, Russia: Just hours after his sudden dismissal by President Vladimir Putin, Russia's former transport minister, Roman Starovoit,...
DHARAMSHALA, India: The Dalai Lama turned 90 on July 6, celebrated by thousands of followers in the Himalayan town of Dharamshala,...
DHARAMSHALA, India: The Dalai Lama turned 90 on July 6, celebrated by thousands of followers in the Himalayan town of Dharamshala,...
HONG KONG: China has fired back at the European Union in an escalating trade dispute by imposing new restrictions on medical device...
Kuala Lumpur [Malaysia], July 11 (ANI): US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he echoed US President Donald Trump's 'disappointment...
London [UK], July 11 (ANI): Following the end of the first day's play during the third Test against England at Lord's, Indian all-rounder...
Thousands of Malaysian students who graduated in Russia will bring good will and skills back home, Teoh Seng Lee has said Education...
London [UK], July 10 (ANI): Star Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja leapfrogged over pacer Zaheer Khan to become the Indian bowler...