Rocket Attack Targets Taliban Gathering at Kunduz Airport

DID Press: A gathering of Taliban forces at Kunduz Airport in northern Afghanistan was targeted in a rocket attack late Thursday as the troops were preparing for an airlift to Badakhshan province, according to local sources.

The sources said Taliban personnel were assembled at the airport awaiting transport by helicopter when the attack occurred. The extent of any casualties or damage was not immediately clear.

No anti-Taliban group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and Taliban authorities have not commented on the incident.The reported attack comes amid intensified fighting in Badakhshan province, where clashes between Taliban forces and armed opposition groups have escalated in recent days.

The Taliban previously confirmed fighting in Zebak district, saying five opposition fighters were killed and several others wounded in clashes with the 15th Border Brigade. The group did not disclose any Taliban casualties.

The Afghanistan Freedom Front, however, said its fighters had repelled several Taliban assaults in Zebak before launching counterattacks from two directions, forcing Taliban forces to retreat after sustaining casualties. These battlefield claims could not be independently verified.