U.S. Shoots Down Rockets as Withdrawal Looms

As the U.S. military raced toward a Tuesday deadline to withdraw from America’s longest war, sporadic violence in the Afghan capital underlined the perils ahead for a country already buffeted by insecurity, a humanitarian crisis and a terrorist threat.

The U.S. military shot down rockets aimed at the Kabul airport on Monday morning, a day after it said that one of its drones struck a vehicle full of explosives. The U.S. has warned that more attacks, like the one last week outside the airport that killed nearly 200 people, are possible before it withdraws on Tuesday. Islamic State Khorasan claimed responsibility for that bombing, which also killed U.S. troops.

The moves by the U.S. military lay bare the precariousness of the security situation in the Afghan capital and the dangers of an imminent security vacuum, with just two days remaining before President Biden’s deadline to complete the withdrawal after nearly 20 years of war.

A U.S. official said the rockets aimed at the airport were brought down by a counter-rocket system, and that there were no initial reports of casualties. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the rockets. The airport remained open, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational details.

It followed another U.S. strike on Sunday, when a U.S. military drone strike blew up a vehicle in Kabul that officials said was laden with explosives and headed toward the airport. Afghans said the drone strike killed as many as nine civilians, including children, and the U.S. military said it was investigating.

Even as violence gripped Kabul, the United States was scrambling to prepare for its departure, including the evacuation of the 300 Americans who remain in the Afghan capital.