KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Operations have returned to normal at Kabul International Airport in Afghanistan, which was shut down early today as gunman carried out a pre-dawn rocket attack.
It led to a gun battle with security forces, and officials say four of the attackers were killed. They say the attack was ended without any civilian or police casualties.
An Afghan army general says the militants occupied two buildings that were under construction about 700 yards north of the facility, and used them as a base to direct rockets and gunfire toward the airport and international jet fighters that were flying over the capital.
The general says several rockets hit the airport, but no planes were damaged. Before the airport was reopened, security forces inspected the runways for shrapnel and explosives.
A Taliban spokesman is claiming responsibility for the airport attack.
The airport hosts civilian traffic and serves as a base for NATO-led forces that have been fighting the Taliban and other insurgents for more than a decade.
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166-r-13-(Sound of rockets and gunfire, at Kabul International Airport)–This is the sound of rockets and gunfire as militants occupied two buildings in Kabul and used them as a base to fire at Kabul International Airport. (17 Jul 2014)
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APPHOTO MAH120: Afghan security forces secure the area during clashes with Taliban fighters in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, July 17, 2014. Gunmen launched a pre-dawn attack on the Kabul International Airport in the Afghan capital on Thursday, raining down rockets, setting off a gunbattle with security forces and forcing the airport to close for hours, officials said. The militants occupied two buildings which were under construction some 700 meters (yards) north of the facility, and were using them as a base to direct rockets and gunfire toward the airport and international jet fighters flying over Kabul, said Afghan army Gen. Afzal Aman. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini) (17 Jul 2014)
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