Taliban Rockets Hit Key Southern Airport Amid Fierce Afghan Fighting

ISLAMABAD - Officials in southern Afghanistan confirmed Sunday that an overnight rocket attack by Taliban insurgents damaged the runway at Kandahar Airport, forcing suspension of all flights.

The attack occurred during ongoing fierce clashes between Afghan security forces and the Taliban in Kandahar and the adjoining city of Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province. Afghan authorities said several rockets struck the airport and all flights out of the country’s second-largest city have been halted until the runway is repaired. “We targeted the Kandahar airport and damaged the runway along with other facilities there,” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told VOA.