Kabul
Six members of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s honour guard were wounded when a rocket struck his palace compound on Tuesday, two officials told AFP.
The rocket was one of a salvo launched into central Kabul just as officials were gathering in the capital to commemorate Afghanistan’s 101st independence day.
Ghani had finished speaking outside the famous Arg Palace to mark the event when a rocket landed in the sprawling compound and wounded six members of his honour guard, two palace officials told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The president had already wrapped up his ceremonial duties and was not affected. The interior ministry did not immediately comment on the incident, but spokesman Tareq Arian earlier said 14 rockets were fired out of two vehicles in the capital, mostly hitting civilian homes.
“Unfortunately, 10 civilians including four children and one woman have been wounded,” Arian said. Two suspects were arrested, he added.
The Arg Palace is located in a highly fortified area of the capital that also houses several embassies, and “incoming fire” alarms could be heard blaring from the US embassy.
Several mortar shells slammed into various part of Kabul on Tuesday morning, wounding at least 10 civilians as Afghans marked their country’s Independence Day amid new uncertainties over the start of talks between the Taliban and the Kabul government.
No militant group claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Interior Ministry’s spokesperson, Tariq Arian, said a total of 14 mortar shells were fired from two vehicles in the northern and eastern part of the Afghan capital. Four children were among the wounded.
“Most of the mortar shells hit residential houses,” Arian said, adding that an investigation was underway.
Ghani’s swearing-in ceremony on March 9 was also interrupted by rocket fire near the palace. No serious injuries were reported at the time. In August 2018, multiple rockets were fired in Kabul, including at the presidential palace, where Ghani was making a speech. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility..— AFP
