U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis visited Kabul on Wednesday to pledge support for the government of President Ashraf Ghani, with the precarious security in the Afghan capital underlined by an attack on the airport hours after he touched down.
Promising a more “holistic” approach without fixed timetables and involving other countries in the region, including Pakistan, he said the Taliban would have to learn they could not defeat the government.
“I want to reinforce to the Taliban that the only path to peace and political legitimacy for them is through a negotiated settlement,” Mr. Mattis told a joint news conference with Mr. Ghani and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Standing alongside him, Mr. Ghani said his government “remain open to talks with the Taliban” as well as a peace strategy involving Pakistan. However, a rocket attack on Kabul airport that wounded several civilians and was claimed by both Islamic State and Taliban insurgents highlighted the insurgents’ ability to strike the Western-backed government.
Fighters holed up in a nearby building continued to resist security forces, the Interior Ministry said, and sporadic gunfire and explosions could be heard from the vicinity of the airport for hours afterwards.
One security official said three attackers were killed and 13 civilians wounded.
A narrow escape
Nearly 180 passengers and crew on board a Delhi-bound SpiceJet plane from Kabul had a narrow escape.
At the time of the rocket attack, SpiceJet’s SG 22 Kabul-Delhi flight was preparing for take off at the airport.
“The boarding for SpiceJet flight SG 22 operating Kabul-Delhi was almost complete when the incident took place. Passengers and crew were safely deboarded and taken to the terminal building. There was no damage to the aircraft,” a SpiceJet spokesperson said.
