Rocket Attack On Afghan President – Free PDF Download

What has happened?

• At least three rockets landed near the Afghan presidential palace on Tuesday as Ashraf Ghani and a group of other leaders marked the start of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha with prayers in the garden.
• Although there was no immediate claim of responsibility, it was the first rocket attack on Kabul since the Taliban launched a series of offensives.
• The Eid al-Adha is the most important Islamic holiday, marking the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim — Abraham to Christians and Jews — to sacrifice his son.
• During the holiday, which in most places lasts four days, Muslims slaughter sheep or cattle and distribute part of the meat to the poor.
• There were no injuries and the rockets landed outside the heavily fortified palace grounds, said Mirwais Stanikzai, spokesman for the interior minister.
• But the police quickly fanned out across area.
• One car parked on a nearby street was completely destroyed

Presidential palace

• The palace is in the middle of a so-called Green Zone that is fortified with giant cement blast walls and barbed wire, and streets near the palace have long been closed off.

• Rockets have been aimed at the presidential palace several times in the past, the last being in December.
• In august 2020, Fourteen rockets were fired into central Kabul on Tuesday as the country marked the 101st anniversary of its independence, one of the missiles slamming into the compound of Arg presidential palace.

ISIL takes responsibility

• The ISIL (ISIS) group claimed responsibility for the attack.
• In a statement circulated on the messaging app Telegram, ISIL said: “Soldiers of the caliphate targeted the presidential palace … and the Green Zone in Kabul with seven Katyusha rockets.”

Islamic State of Iraq and Levant

• ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), also known as ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), is a Sunni jihadist group with a particularly violent ideology,
• That calls itself a caliphate and claims religious authority over all Muslims.
• It was inspired by al Qaida but later publicly expelled from it.
• ISIL was founded by the Jordanian jihadist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in 1999.
• It gained global prominence in early 2014 when it drove Iraqi government forces out of key cities in its Western Iraq.

No ceasefire on Eid

• Unlike some previous years, the Taliban did not declare a ceasefire during the Eid holiday this year,
• Despite urgent calls from Afghan civil society and the international community to end the fighting.

President’s speech

• Ghani later delivered a speech from an outdoor podium, broadcast on local media.
• “This Eid has been named after Afghan forces to honor their sacrifices and courage, especially in the last three months,” Ghani said.
• “The Taliban have no intention and willingness for peace,” Ghani said.
• “We have proven that we have the intention, willingness and have sacrificed for peace.”

Regrets the previous decision

• Ghani also deplored his government’s decision to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners to get peace talks started last year as a “big mistake” that only strengthened the insurgents.
• “We released 5,000 prisoners to start peace talks, but until today the Taliban haven’t shown any serious or meaningful interest in peace negotiations.”
• “The Taliban’s offensive is in direct contradiction to their claim to support a negotiated settlement,” the statement read.
• “It has resulted in loss of innocent Afghan lives, including through continued targeted killings, displacement of the civilian population, looting and burning of buildings, destruction of vital infrastructure, and damage to communication networks.”

Peace talk

• Abdullah Abdullah, the No. 2 official in the government, was inside the palace during the rocket attack on Tuesday, having returned on Monday from peace talks with the Taliban in Qatar.
• The two days of meetings in Doha — the highest level of negotiations between Kabul and the Taliban so far — aimed at jumpstarting stalled talks but ended with a promise of more high-level talks.

Q) Until 1925, Afghan rupee was the currency of Afghanistan. At present which currency is in circulation?

1. Afghani
2. Pushton
3. US Dollar
4. Mix of international currencies

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