At least 8 killed, 30 wounded in Kabul rocket attack

A barrage of rocket strikes hitting residential areas of Kabul killed at least eight people and wounded dozens more as Afghanistan faces fragile peace negotiations with the Taliban.

Tariq Arian, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, confirmed on Twitter that at least eight civilians had been killed and 31 others wounded after a rocket attack, which he blamed on the Taliban, targeted several districts of the Afghan capital city. He warned the information was preliminary and that the figures could change. 

Arian said the group fired off 14 rockets mounted on a small truck.

Several residents of the city filmed video of the attack, which showed broken windows in storefronts, buildings with holes in them and debris littering the Kabul streets.

The attack is just the latest in a string of strikes in Afghanistan since peace talks between the government in Kabul and the Taliban stalled, though the armed group has denied any culpability in Saturday’s rocket launches. In an attack earlier this month for which the Islamic State claimed responsibility, several gunmen shot at least 35 people to death when they overran the Kabul University campus. 

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is traveling to Qatar Saturday to meet with an Afghan delegation and Taliban negotiators as the U.S. looks to push the two sides toward an agreement. 

“I want to thank our Qatari friends for sharing in the responsibilities – and successes – in our many shared efforts of cooperation,” Pompeo said in a statement regarding his trip. 

The U.S. and the Taliban have already come to a peace accord, which would involve the Pentagon drawing down troops in Afghanistan in exchange for assurances from the Taliban that the country will not be used as a safe haven for terrorists to launch attacks against the U.S. 

President Trump this week ordered troop levels in Afghanistan to be reduced to 2,500 by mid-January.