Suicide bombers and militants firing mortars attacked Kabul’s airport during a visit by US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis on Wednesday, prompting a US air strike that accidentally killed civilians, officials said. Hours after Mattis touched down in Kabul, militants fired high explosive ammunition including mortar rounds near the main airport and detonated several suicide vests in an attack claimed by both the Taliban and Islamic State. US forces conducted an air strike supporting an Afghan special police unit fighting the attackers but suffered a “missile malfunction”, causing several casualties, the US-led Nato mission there said. The strategy will give US commanders greater freedom to use American firepower against the militants but, speaking a few hours before the air strike, Mattis said they would do “everything humanly possible” to prevent civilian casualties. If Nato forces leave too soon, there is a risk Afghanistan may return to a state of chaos and once again become a safe haven for international terrorism.”

Source: Dhaka Tribune September 27, 2017 20:15 UTC