Rockets fired at Kabul airport intercepted by missile defence system - US official

Multiple rockets fired at Kabul airport have been intercepted by a missile defence system, a US official has told Reuters news agency.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said up to five rockets were fired early this morning, although it was not clear if all were brought down by the defence system.

Initial reports did not indicate any US casualties but that information could change, the official added.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden has been briefed on the situation.

"The president was informed that operations continue uninterrupted at Hamid Karzai International Airport, and has reconfirmed his order that commanders redouble their efforts to prioritise doing whatever is necessary to protect our forces on the ground," Ms Psaki said in a statement.

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Damage after US airstrike on ISIS-K target

Officials had previously warned that ISIS-K militants were looking to target the airport with rockets.

However, the US has experience in countering such rockets and had already installed missile defence systems.

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"We know that they [ISIS-K] would like to lob a rocket in there, if they could," General Frank McKenzie head of US Central Command, told reporters in Washington last week.

"Now we actually have pretty good protection against that. We have our anti-rocket and mortar system."

Mr Biden said on Saturday that the situation on the ground remained extremely dangerous, and that his military chiefs had told him another militant attack was highly likely within the next 24 to 36 hours.

On Sunday, American forces launched a drone strike in Kabul targeting a suicide bomber in a vehicle who was aiming to attack the airport.

It came after a suicide bomb attack at Kabul airport on Thursday that killed between 92 and 169 Afghans, 13 US service members and three Britons.

There is increasing concern that ISIS-K militants will launch further attacks on the airport as US troops race to evacuate remaining American citizens and at-risk Afghans, before completing their own withdrawal by Tuesday.

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