Rockets target U.S. troops as Afghanistan withdrawal enters final stage

U.S. anti-missile defences intercepted as many as five rockets fired at Kabul's airport early on Monday, a U.S. official said, as the United States rushed to complete its withdrawal from Afghanistan to end its longest war.

Afghan media said the attack was launched from the back of a vehicle. The Pajhwok news agency said several rockets struck different parts of the Afghan capital.

Initial reports did not indicate any U.S. casualties, the U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. The attack followed a huge Islamic State suicide bombing outside the airport gates on Thursday that killed scores of Afghans and 13 U.S. troops and another reported attempted bombing on Sunday.

The U.S. and allied forces have evacuated about 114,400 people, including foreign nationals and Afghans deemed "at risk", in an effort that began a day before Kabul fell to the Taliban on Aug. 15. The forces themselves are due to pull out by a Tuesday deadline agreed with the Islamist militants.

President Joe Biden reconfirmed his order for commanders to do "whatever is necessary to protect our forces on the ground" after he was briefed on Monday's rocket fire, the White House said. He was told airport operations continued uninterrupted, it added.

On Sunday, Pentagon officials said a U.S. drone strike killed a suicide car bomber who had been preparing to attack the airport on behalf of ISIS-K, a local affiliate of Islamic State that is an enemy of both the West and the Taliban.