'Five rockets fired at Kabul airport' & get intercepted by US anti-missile system after drone ‘wipes out ISIS-K squad'

AS MANY as five rockets fired at the Kabul airport were intercepted by the US anti-missile system, a US official told Reuters on Sunday night.

The official said that initial reports did not indicate any US casualties, but it was also not totally clear if every rocket fired was taken down by the defense system.


This comes as the US has just two days left to evacuate all troops from Afghanistan.

There is increasing concern that Islamic State militants will launch further attacks on the airport as U.S. troops hurry to evacuate remaining American citizens and at-risk Afghans

On Thursday, an attack by an ISIS-K suicide bomber left 170 people dead outside of the airport, including 13 US service members.

US forces have reportedly taken out several threats in the days since the attack.

A strike carried out after the Thursday attack reportedly killed another ISIS-K facilitator and planner.

Earlier Sunday, a US drone strike blew up a vehicle that was reportedly carrying multiple suicide bombers in Kabul, US officials said.

That hit a car carrying several terrorists and packed with explosives. There were several unconfirmed local reports that up to nine civilians were also killed.

A CNN report quoting a relative said nine family members died including six children. There have been several conflicting reports.

The US Central Command said it was assessing the possibility of civilian casualties.

Spokesman Capt Bill Urban said: "We know that there were substantial and powerful subsequent explosions resulting from the destruction of the vehicle, indicating a large amount of explosive material inside that may have caused additional casualties.

"It is unclear what may have happened, and we are investigating further.

"We would be deeply saddened by any potential loss of innocent life."

HUNDREDS STRANDED

While the US had foiled the potentially devastating attack, the determination of ISIS-K suicide bombers to hit the airport has left people still stranded in Afghanistan desperate.

Around 1,000 British troops took part in Operation Pitting, the largest military evacuation since the end of World War Two.

They airlifted more than 15,000 people out of Kabul over 15 days, including 5,000 Brits.

But officials warned that 150 Brits and at least 1,000 Afghan staff who worked with troops and diplomats may still be there.

A family of six, including four stranded toddlers, last night begged Boris Johnson to get them out amid fears the country could be engulfed by a terror campaign.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has confirmed there are about 300 US citizens still stranded in Kabul waiting to be evacuated as well.

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