What is happening in Kabul: five rockets fired at the airport, and nine members of one family killed after US airstrike

Ukrainian military carried out a daring operation to evacuate Afghan interpreters who worked with Canadian forces.

On August 30, Kabul airport was attacked with five rockets, none of which hit the airfield. We explain what is happening in the city in recent days, the consequences of the US airstrike, and how Ukrainian military evacuated interpreters. 

Attack on Kabul airport

Reuters and CBS News report that on August 30, Kabul airport was attacked with five rockets, which, as far as is currently known, did not hit the airfield. An unnamed US official said that all the rockets were intercepted by the missile defense system, and that no American military personnel were injured. 

Some media outlets reported that rockets hit several locations in the city itself. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that President Joe Biden had been briefed on the attack and that evacuation had not been halted as a result. 

Consequences of the US airstrike

On August 29, the US carried out a strike against a suspected suicide bomber who was preparing an attack near Kabul airport. According to data from the US Central Command, the suspect was killed. 

Command spokesman Bill Urban reported that after the drone strike, a large amount of explosives detonated in the vehicle of the suspected terrorist, "which could have led to additional casualties." He noted: "We would be deeply saddened by any potential loss of innocent life." 

This is the second US strike against the terrorist group Islamic State in Afghanistan. On August 27, the command reported that two senior members of the group had been killed. 

As a result of the US drone strike on a vehicle of a suspected member of Islamic State Khorasan Province in Kabul, nine members of one family were killed, including six children. This is reported by CNN, citing the words of a relative of the victims. 

He also specified that two cars were at the scene — a Toyota Corona and a Toyota Camry, and members of his family were in one of them. 

The US began attacking ISIS terrorists after a terrorist attack near Kabul airport that killed about 200 people, including 13 American service members. After the incident, Biden ordered strikes on the group's leaders and facilities. 

Evacuation of interpreters from Kabul

Ukrainian military personnel stationed at Kabul airport carried out a daring operation and evacuated Afghan interpreters who worked with Canadian forces. This is reported by The Globe and Mail. 

The operation was carried out early in the morning of August 27 — a day after the last Canadian evacuation plane left Afghanistan, and a few hours after the attack at the gates of Hamid Karzai International Airport. 

The soldiers had photos of the minibuses' license plates. They surrounded and escorted the vehicles over the last 600 meters to the airport. 

Mohammed Sharaf, a 49-year-old father of five who spent 10 years as an interpreter, helping The Globe cover Canada's role in the war in Afghanistan, said: "The convoy entered the airport because the Ukrainians came out. We just sent them the license plates of our vehicles and they came to the local market to find us. They said: 'Ukraine?', we said: 'Yes!', and they led us inside." 

Before leaving Kabul, Canadian military personnel made two evacuation attempts, but they produced no results and failed to bring the group to the airport. The operations relied on Afghans and their families being able to reach designated meeting points at the airport gates, but amid the chaos this proved impossible. 

The article states: "The Ukrainian operation succeeded where others failed, because Ukrainian military personnel sent special forces on foot into the city to carry out rescue operations. The evacuees said they were stunned that Ukrainian troops took risks to save them, which Canadian and American forces did not do."

Javed Hakmal, a 33-year-old father of four who worked with Canadian special forces in Kandahar for two years, said: "Everyone was surprised. Last month I tried to get someone to drive us. We asked the Americans, the Canadians, the Qataris, everyone — and there was no solution. They were afraid to go out. The Ukrainian soldiers were angels to us. They did an extraordinary job. They have big hearts."