Afghanistan Strongly Condemns Attack On Mecca

Afghanistan Ministry of Foreign (MoF) has strongly condemned the missile launched by the Houthis of Yemen aiming to attack the holy city of Makkah.

MoF in a press release call it “unacceptable precedent” and a “disregard to the sanctity of Muslim holy sites that should not pass in silence.”

“The act of Houthis against the holy city in which the world’s Muslims’ Qiblah is located, carries deep concern and anguish for Afghanistan,” the statement said.

Afghanistan believes that continuation of any such acts will increase tensions in the region and the Islamic world, and poses serious challenges to the efforts of the international community for a sustainable peace in Yemen.

Yemeni rebels have launched one of their longest-range strikes against Saudi Arabia, firing a ballistic missile that was shot down near Makkah, the Saudi-led coalition fighting them said on Friday.

But the rebels insisted that the missile had targeted Jeddah, the Red Sea city in the region, and not Makkah.

The coalition has been carrying out a bombing campaign against the rebels since March last year and there have been rebel strikes towards the bases from which the coalition mounts air raids.

Saudi Arabia has deployed Patriot missiles to intercept the rebel fire.

Civil war broke out in September 2014 when Houthi rebels, who are Shia, took over the capital Sanaa and overthrew the country’s government.

In March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition of Arab countries, including Egypt, began a military attack against the Houthi forces.

Another Houthi missile was fired earlier this month targeting Taif, also near Mecca.