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Washington condemns attack on Kandahar base housing US troops
The Pentagon condemned the Taliban attack on a Kandahar air base Wednesday, where several hundred U.S. troops are based, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said at a press briefing.
“We condemn today’s attack on Kandahar airfield, home to several hundred U.S. and coalition personnel,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday night at the press briefing.
“While the attack resulted in no casualties or damage, the Taliban’s decision to provoke even more violence in Afghanistan remains disruptive to the opportunity for peace presented by ongoing negotiations,” he added.
A U.S. Forces-Afghanistan spokesman said the airfield is under control of the Afghan government, but U.S. and coalition troops are still present.
“The rockets landed outside the perimeter and there was no damage [and] no casualties,” the spokesman said in a statement.
Kirby, however, would not directly answer a question by the Washington Examiner on whether the attack constituted a violation of the U.S. agreement with the Taliban.
“I’m not prepared to give you an assessment right now, one way or the other, as to how this suits with the agreement,” he said.
“Clearly, the violence is too high,” he said of the situation in Afghanistan. “Clearly, this attack certainly indicates that’s going to be disruptive to the opportunity to achieve a peaceful negotiation, but I’m not prepared today to give an assessment of this attack as balance against the Doha agreement.”
Wednesday’s rocket attack comes just three weeks before the May 1 deadline for U.S troops withdrawal from Afghanistan as per the agreement signed in February last year between the Taliban and the US.
However, the Biden administration is still reviewing the situation and expectations currently are Washington will seek to extend troop presence in Afghanistan for the short-term.
Last month US President Joe Biden said in an interview a complete withdrawal would not be impossible but it would be “tough” from a logistics point of view.
Local officials in Balkh province said this week that domestic tourism has improved substantially and that in the past month, about 30,000 visitors have visited the popular Khwaja Sekandar Springs in Shulgarh district.
Officials said that Balkh tourist attractions are drawing in large numbers of visitors amid improved security, especially visitors to the springs.
Balkh residents have welcomed the growing number of visitors to their province and said this was largely due to improved security.
“The difference is big, in the past there was insecurity, now because of the security of this place, people come a lot,” said Ghulam Yahya, a tourist.
Since the IEA took control of the country, provinces around the country are reporting an increase in domestic tourism due to the improved security situation.
The Takhar Department of Public Health says that in the past three days, more than 1,000 people have been infected with severe diarrhea in Takhar province.
The public health officials said that most of the people infected live in the remote areas of Bangi and Ishkamish districts.
According to these officials, mobile health teams have been sent to the area to prevent casualties and to curb the spread of this disease.
A number of non-governmental health institutions have also started working to prevent casualties caused by this disease.
However, residents of the province have stated that there are no health centers in many remote areas in the province and asked government to establish mobile health centers in these areas.
Poor hygiene habits, hot weather and also the use of unsafe water are said to be the reasons for the spread of this disease.
Kabul municipality officials said Saturday construction work on the new Wazir Akbar Khan to Sherpur road has started in order to reduce traffic congestion in the city center.
Water culverts will also be included in the project that is being undertaken by the municipality’s Department of Work Maintenance and Monitoring of Kabul Municipality, Bakhtar reported.
The project, once completed, will cost 15 million Afghanis.
The new road will link Street 15 in Wazir Akbar Khan with Street 2 in Sherpur. Six properties along this section will be demolished to make way for the road.
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