A rocket exploded at the United States embassy in Kabul just after midnight on Wednesday in the first attack since President Donald Trump called off talks with the Taliban terrorist group, AP reported. Wednesday marks the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. No one was injured in the incident.

“An explosion caused by a rocket has occurred on compound,” an announcement on the loudspeaker told employees inside the embassy. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization mission said none of its personnel were injured.

On Saturday, Trump had called off a secret meeting with the Taliban, blaming the group for jeopardising the talks by an attack in Kabul that killed 12 people, including an American soldier. The next day, the US president said peace talks with the militant group were “dead” and declared that the country’s military had increased attacks on the insurgents.

After Trump’s remark, the Taliban vowed to continue its fight against the US military forces. “We had two ways to end occupation in Afghanistan, one was jihad and fighting, the other was talks and negotiations,” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said. “If Trump wants to stop talks, we will take the first way and they will soon regret it.”

No group has claimed responsibility yet for Wednesday’s explosion.

The United States had invaded Afghanistan in 2001 after nearly 3,000 people were killed in serial terror attacks in New York on September 11 that year. The US had committed up to 1,00,000 troops in Afghanistan, until 2011, when its forces killed the mastermind of the attacks, Osama bin Laden.

As many as 14,000 US troops still remain in Afghanistan, which Trump had earlier this year promised to bring home.


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