Taliban claims deadly Afghan attack to coincide with James Mattis visit

The Taliban unleashed a barrage of rockets at the Kabulinternational airport on Wednesday in a brazen attack that the
insurgents said targeted the plane of visiting U.S. Secretary ofDefence Jim Mattis. In response, the U.S. said it launched twomissiles, one of which missed its intended target and killed atleast one Afghan civilian.

Afghan officials said one Afghan woman was killed and 11 civilians were wounded in the Taliban attack. Afghan special forcesmanaged to repel the attackers, killing four in an ensuinggun battle, officials said.

Later, the U.S. military issued a statement saying that it hadresponded with an airstrike.

"Tragically, one of the missiles malfunctioned, causing severalcasualties," the U.S. command said.

Tragically, one of the missiles malfunctioned, causing severalcasualties.- U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan

Navy Capt. William Salvin, spokesperson for the U.S.-led militarycoalition, said in a telephone interview that the U.S. fired twoHellfire missiles. One struck its intended target, a building fromwhich the insurgents had launched their mortar attack. The other onewas programmed to hit the same target but went astray for unknownreasons, Salvin said.

At least one Afghan civilian was killed by the malfunctioningHellfire, and an undetermined number of other civilians were wounded,Salvin said.

In its written statement, the U.S.-led coalition expressed regretfor the civilian casualties.

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"We take every precaution to avoid civilian casualties, even asthe enemies of Afghanistan continue to operate in locations thatdeliberately put civilians at very high risk," it said. Thestatement said the original Taliban attackers had fired severalrounds of high-explosive ammunition, including mortars, in thevicinity of the Kabul airport.

The U.S. statement said the insurgents also detonated suicidevests, "endangering a great number of civilians."

Mattis was meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the timeof the attack, along with visiting NATO Secretary General JensStoltenberg. Mattis's plane was not hit.

The attack both its locationand thepurported target underscored theability of the insurgents to still stage high-profile attacksdespite Afghan security forces' struggle to stem Taliban gains.

Najib Danish, spokesperson for the Interior Ministry, said the Taliban fired up to about six projectiles at and near the airport, hitting both the international and the military sector of the sprawling hub and also two civilian houses nearby. The gun battle with Afghan special forces left "four of the terrorists dead," he said.

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Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a tweet that the"military section of the Kabul airport was hit with missiles;
target was plane of U.S. Defence Secretary Mattis" and that"losses (were) caused" in the attack.

Ghani said during a joint press conference with Mattis andStoltenberg that Afghan special forces troops quickly brought theassault under control. Mattis called the attack "a crime" duringthe news conference.

Speaking to The Associated Press later Wednesday, Stoltenbergdenounced that attack as a "terrorist act" that shows the
militants' "weakness."

Tumour Shah Hamedi, director of Kabul airport, said all flightswere halted as a result of the attack.

At the presser, both Mattis and Stoltenberg pledged continued support for Afghanistan and vowed to do everything possible so the country "doesn't again become a safe haven for international terrorists."

Stoltenberg said NATO is aware of "the cost of staying in Afghanistan, but the cost of leaving would be even higher."

"If NATO forces leave too soon, there is a risk that Afghanistan may return to a state of chaos and once again become a safe haven for international terrorism," he said.

NATO committed until at least 2020

Stoltenberg also said NATO was committed to funding the Afghan security forces until at least 2020, and would continue to provide them almost a $1 billion US each year.

Ghani said the Taliban can choose either to align with international terrorism or renounce violence and join a peace process with the government.

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Mattis said Washington supports a negotiated settlement between the Taliban and Afghanistan. "The sooner the Taliban recognize they cannot win with bombs, the sooner the killing will end," he said.

Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump hinted he would embrace thePentagon's proposal to boost troop numbers by nearly 4,000. Thecombined U.S. and NATO troop contingent currently in the country isabout 13,500.

In other violence, hundreds of Taliban insurgents attacked a security post in Afghanistan's western Farha province, killing at least 10 policemen and threatening to overrun the position.

Hakim Noori, the governor of the Pusht Rod district, said almost 300 Taliban fighters took part in the attack, which began on Tuesday night. He said the insurgents mined the area around the base to prevent authorities from sending in reinforcements.

Farid Bakhtawar, the head of the provincial council, confirmed the killing of the policemen and warned they would be overrun if reinforcements do not arrive soon.