US Military Base Hit by Rocket Attack, ISIS Claims Responsibility
The Afghanistan affiliate of the Islamic State group launched a rocket attack Thursday on the largest based used by the U.S.-led coalition fighting terrorists in the war-torn nation.
Five rockets were fired at Bagram Air Base in Kabul, but did not cause any injuries, the military said in a tweet.
Five rockets were fired at Bagram airfield early this morning. There were no casualties or injuries. Our #ANDSF partners are investigating the incident.
— Resolute Support (@ResoluteSupport) April 9, 2020
#BREAKING: Rockets fired at US Base in Afghanistan—ISIS claims responsibility. https://t.co/aaqZlahYAH
— Kari Lake (@KariLakeFox10) April 9, 2020
There was no damage to the base, according to Fox News.
The rockets were launched from a car shortly before 6 a.m., local authorities told Stars and Stripes.
“Foreign forces intercepted two of the rockets in the air, and the other three landed outside the base,” said Wahida Shahkar, a spokeswoman for the Parwan provincial government.
Islamic State Khorasan, the name used by the group, said that it targeted a helicopter landing pad at Bagram, Reuters reported.
The group first became active in Afghanistan in 2014, beginning in the eastern section of the country and then branching out to the north.
The U.S. has estimated that Islamic State Khorasan has about 2,000 fighters. The group had attacked the base in March with a similar result.
Parwan police chief Mohamad Mahfooz Alizad said the base was attacked four times in March, and would not rule out involvement of the Taliban in the earlier attacks, even though it denied any involvement in them.
The Taliban also specifically denied any responsibility for Thursday’a rocket attack.
Five BM1 mortars were packed into a Toyota Corona and launched at Bagram Airfield shortly before 6 a.m., officials said https://t.co/w3FNd1DIUc
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) April 9, 2020
Goodmorning World from Bagram,Afganistan ? pic.twitter.com/ScqNSBgT4v
— Mr.Haindeniya (@Haindeniya) March 2, 2020
The attack came a day after 100 Taliban members were released from jail as part of a deal to end fighting between the U.S. and the Taliban.
Islamic State Khorasan was not a party to that agreement.
The prisoner release is a major first step toward implementing the agreement signed in February that also called for the Taliban to free government personnel currently held hostage.
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