Taliban fire rockets at Kabul peace assembly (Second Lead)
June 2nd, 2010 - 3:45 pm ICT by IANS
Kabul, June 2 (IANS) Taliban guerrillas launched two rockets at the national peace assembly or “jirga” inaugurated by President Hamid Karzai in the Afghan capital but there were no casualties, an official said.
Sporadic firing took place in Afshar area, about 1.5 km from the heavily-guarded jirga venue, following the attack.
The rockets landed near the Intercontinental Hotel close to the venue of the National Consultative Peace Jirga while Karzai was delivering his speech, a security official said.
The Taliban said it sent four suicide bombers, equipped with suicide vests, rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles.
They said they had occupied a building and were still attempting to disrupt the jirga, Xinhua quoted Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid as saying over telephone from an unknown location.
Around 1,600 people including tribal chieftains, MPs, social and political figures as well as government officials gathered Wednesday under a giant tent in Kabul to discuss the government-initiated reconciliation process with the Taliban.
On Tuesday, the Taliban termed the government-initiated jirga as phoney and vowed to continue its war.
- Rockets fired near Kabul peace assembly, Karzai unhurt (Lead) - Jun 02, 2010
- Twin blasts rock Kabul, Karzai unhurt - Jun 02, 2010
- 21 killed in nightmare Kabul hotel attack - Jun 30, 2011
- Taliban step up attacks ahead of Afghan Loya Jirga - Nov 04, 2011
- Rockets, gunfire mar Afghan peace jirga's opening (Fourth Lead) - Jun 02, 2010
- Afghan opposition leader to boycott 'peace jirga', says its a PR exercise - Jun 02, 2010
- Indian envoy at Afghan jirga attacked by rockets - Jun 02, 2010
- Ten troops killed in bloody day for ISAF in Afghanistan - Jun 08, 2010
- Afghan interior minister, spy chief quit in wake of attacks - Jun 06, 2010
- Two Britons among dead in Kabul attack - Oct 30, 2011
- 30 militants lay down arms in Afghanistan - Jun 14, 2010
- Blast rocks Kabul hours before international conference - Jul 20, 2010
- Suicide bomber kills 55 at Shiite shrine in Kabul - Dec 07, 2011
- 14 militants lay down arms in Afghanistan - Jun 20, 2010
- 25 Taliban killed in Afghanistan - Apr 14, 2012
Tags: afghan capital, assault rifles, casualties, fire rockets, government officials, guerrillas, hamid karzai, intercontinental hotel, kabul, mujahid, national peace, peace jirga, president hamid karzai, rocket propelled grenades, security official, suicide bombers, taliban, tribal chieftains, vests, xinhua