US Embassy in Afghanistan Attacked on 9/11 Anniversary
Minutes after midnight on Wednesday, a rocket blast shook the United States Embassy in Afghanistan.
The attack, which fell on the eighteenth anniversary of the tragic 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S., sent a sizable plume of smoke into the air over the Afghan capital of Kabul, The Associated Press reported.
The outlet reported that loud sirens could be heard from the scene and embassy employees were briefed on the attack via loudspeaker announcement which said, “An explosion caused by a rocket has occurred on compound.”
Within an hour it was determined that there were no casualties from the explosion and an all-clear was given.
The AP also indicated this was the first major attack in the city since President Donald Trump called off peace talks with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Taliban leaders at Camp David.
US embassy in Kabul comes under attack reportedly by Afghan Taliban https://t.co/3vpIyROSyw pic.twitter.com/TePLlxyqdQ
— Times of lsIamabad (@TimesofIslambad) September 11, 2019
Photograph of thick smoke visible in Central Kabul on 9/11 anniversary after midnight explosion. Still no details out on casualties or exact nature of the blast. US Embassy alarm bells did go off. Waiting for more details. #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/nf2VWmMnAz
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) September 10, 2019
Trump officially called off those secret peace talks Saturday in a tweet, NPR reported, saying the death of a U.S. serviceman in Taliban-orchestrated car bombings that killed 12 in Kabul last week, pushed him away from the negotiating table.
“[T]he major Taliban leaders were going to secretly meet with me at Camp David on Sunday,” Trump wrote.
“They were coming to the United States tonight. Unfortunately, in order to build false leverage, they admitted to.. an attack in Kabul that killed one of our great great soldiers, and 11 other people,” he added. “I immediately cancelled the meeting and called off peace negotiations.
“What kind of people would kill so many in order to seemingly strengthen their bargaining position?”
….an attack in Kabul that killed one of our great great soldiers, and 11 other people. I immediately cancelled the meeting and called off peace negotiations. What kind of people would kill so many in order to seemingly strengthen their bargaining position? They didn’t, they….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 7, 2019
….only made it worse! If they cannot agree to a ceasefire during these very important peace talks, and would even kill 12 innocent people, then they probably don’t have the power to negotiate a meaningful agreement anyway. How many more decades are they willing to fight?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 7, 2019
According to analysts both within the State Department and the media, some manner of violent response was expected in light of this breakdown in peaceful negotiation.
Trump has been attempting for some time to pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan and end America’s longest-running military conflict.
This week’s Sept. 11 anniversary also increased cause for concern, as attacks by Islamic terrorists have been known to be carried out against the U.S. and its interests on the date — often in celebration of the largest act of Islamic extremism in world history.
One such attack was carried out on Sept. 11, 2012, when Islamic militant group Ansar al-Sharia attacked a U.S. Consulate and a CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya, killing three American servicemen and an ambassador.
This is a developing story. The Western Journal will update this report if and when new information is released.
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