Taliban launches rocket attacks near Afghan President's residence

Kabul – Rocket attacks were launched near the residence of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday morning. Ghani blamed that the attack proves that the Taliban does not want to bring peace to Afghanistan. As per the agreement reached in Doha last year, the Taliban had agreed not to launch attacks on Kabul and other provincial capitals. But the Tuesday’s invasion indicates that the Taliban appears to have scrapped the deal.

Three rockets landed near the security wall of President Ghani’s residence in the capital, Kabul, as prayers began. President Ghani and all his colleagues were also present at this time. Mirwais Stanikzai, a spokesman for the Department of Internal Security, said that there were no casualties in the attacks. The President continued to pray even after the rocket attacks and then addressed the Afghan people.

Dr Abdullah had gone to the meeting in Qatar carrying a message where he said, condemning the Taliban’s rocket attacks, ‘We are ready to do anything to bring peace to Afghanistan. But the Taliban does not want peace and stability in Afghanistan. Now it is up to us to decide. Rocket attacks will not shake a country like Afghanistan.’

Ghani said that his government had drawn up an urgent and practical plan to overcome the conflict that had been raging for the past three months. For this, Afghans need to be united for the next three to six months. President Ghani claimed that the situation in the country would change after that. Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh has sharply criticised the Taliban for launching rocket attacks near the presidential residence.

But Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed that the Taliban had nothing to do with the rocket attacks near the President’s residence. Mujahid told the International News Agency that the Taliban had only adopted a policy of self-defence. But the Mujahid declined to answer the question, whether the Taliban had declared a ceasefire? Therefore, it is clear that the Taliban will continue their attacks in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, international media claimed that the Taliban has warned the Afghan government by launching rocket attacks near the President’s residence.

There were signs that the Taliban would take control of Afghanistan in the weeks leading up to the US withdrawal. But now, there are reports of resistance intensifying from the Afghan army. In some places, claims have been made that the Afghan military has recaptured territory from the Taliban. Therefore, there is talk that the Afghan army is now succeeding in thwarting the Taliban. There were also reports that people in Afghan cities are getting ready to fight the Taliban for their future. At the same time, the Taliban seem to realise that international opinion is not on their side.

Therefore, while there are signs of the tables turning in the conflict in Afghanistan, there is a strong possibility that the Taliban has tried to demonstrate its strength by launching rocket attacks near the residence of the Afghan President. However, the Taliban has not been able to achieve the expected results and instead, the Afghan government appears to have used the attack to target the Taliban.