In Afghanistan, two rockets explode near the presidential palace

Published on : 07/20/2021 – 12:43

Two strong explosions sounded Tuesday, July 20, a few steps from the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. Three rockets, only two of which exploded, fell not far from the compound where many officials were gathered around President Ashraf Ghani on the occasion of Eid el Adha, the Muslim feast of the Sacrifice.

“The enemies of Afghanistan have launched a rocket attack in various places in Kabul,” Interior Ministry spokesman Mirwais Stanikzai said in a message to the press. He cites three areas within a radius of about a kilometer from the presidential palace, already targeted by rockets several times in the past, the last time in December. One of the three rockets did not explode, he continues, adding that there does not appear to be any casualties.

No claim

“We do not have enough information to say who is behind the attack and so far the Taliban have not claimed responsibility for it,” Ibraheem Bahiss, consultant for the International Crisis Group (ICG ), pointing out that other organizations, such as the Islamic State (IS) group had already carried out such attacks against the capital.

AFP journalists heard around 8 am (03:30 GMT) the noise, followed by explosions, of at least two rockets flying over the ultra-fortified “green zone” which houses the presidential palace and several embassies, including the mission. of ONU.

Shortly after the explosions, President Ashraf Ghani delivered his traditional first-day Eid al-Adha speech live on television in the presence of many senior Afghan officials.

The imperturbable Afghan presidency

In a video filmed by national television and posted on the Afghan presidency’s Facebook page, the hissing sound followed by the explosion of at least two rockets is heard, while Ashraf Ghani and several senior officials pray in the palace garden. The president and most of the men present remain impassive and continue to pray, kneeling, while a few stand up, reluctant to flee. In March 2020, a rocket attack targeted Ashraf Ghani’s inauguration ceremony in the presence of hundreds of people. The incident had been claimed by the EI group.

“My impression is that the importance of these attacks is evaluated less by the damage they cause than by the psychological impact they have by undermining confidence in the government”, underlined Ibraheem Bahiss. Tuesday’s attack “like the previous ones was symbolic and aimed to show that the insurgents are within range, even though the fact that (the rockets) landed so close to the presidential palace shows that these attacks can potentially turn deadly.”

In his speech, President Ghani made no direct reference to the attack, but accused the Taliban of “showing that they have neither the will nor the intention to make peace”, despite their claims. .

Peace talks that stall

“So far, the Taliban have not shown” the slightest interest “in meaningful and serious talks,” he added, after another fruitless weekend of talks between the government and the insurgents in Doha. Sunday in Qatar, the two delegations separated by simply indicating that they had agreed on the need to find a “just solution” and to meet again “next week”.

The head of the Afghan government council overseeing the peace process, Abdullah Abdullah, admitted that “the Afghan people obviously expected much more”. “But the door for negotiations remains open,” he told AFP, saying he hoped for progress “within a few weeks”.

The Doha talks, which began in September, have not seen any progress since then and the Taliban launched an all-out offensive against Afghan forces in early May, with the beginning of the final withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan, scheduled for s ‘to be completed at the end of August.

The Afghan army in decline

Deprived of crucial American support, the Afghan forces offered little resistance and essentially only controlled the provincial capitals and major axes. On Monday, some fifteen diplomatic representations in Kabul called on the Taliban to cease their offensive in Afghanistan, which contradicts “their affirmed support for a negotiated settlement” of the conflict.

Tuesday’s attack dashed hopes for an Eid ceasefire similar to those decided in recent years by the Taliban on Muslim holidays. “It will disappoint many people in the country, for whom the Eid ceasefires were among the rare and precious moments to visit friends and family,” said Ibraheem Bahiss.

According to him, the Taliban have not decreed a ceasefire this year, because they want “to take advantage of having taken the military initiative back in the government”, but also not to give in to the claims that “they record heavy losses and want a military break “.

With AFP