Taliban denies US drone attack in Kabul

The Taliban on Sunday denied a US drone attack amid reports of a rocket hitting a vacant house in the Sherpur area of Afghanistan's capital Kabul.

Abdul Nafi Takoor, a spokesman of the Interior Ministry, said that a rocket hit an empty residence in the Sherpor area of Kabul city, adding there were "no casualties," reported Tolo News.

"A rocket hit a house in the Sherpor area of Kabul this morning at around 6:00 am in PD10 of Kabul. The house was empty, thus the rocket did not result in any casualties," he said.

But Rahmatullah Nabil, former head of the National Directorate of Security (NDS), said on his Twitter page a US drone attacked an ISIS (Islamic State) shelter in Kabul, reported Tolo News.

"According to a Doha Agreement article, the US supports the Taliban in their fight against ISIS-K. Sources said that American drones were seen in Kabul's airspace and targeted several areas of the city. They probably targeted the ISIS safe houses," he tweeted.

Meanwhile, Kabul residents said they heard multiple blasts in Kabul city.

"In the morning, I wanted to go to university, I heard two explosions one after the other," said Ahmad Milad, a resident of Kabul told Tolo News.

"I heard the sound of the blast in the morning, and I was very disappointed. I ask the Islamic Emirate to bring peace and tranquility to our people," Raz Mohammad, another resident of Kabul told Tolo News.

Meanwhile, in this week, another explosion occurred at the Kabul International Cricket Stadium during the Shpageeza cricket tournament and as per media reports, several people were injured.

Following the explosion, a video is going viral on social media where the people are seen in panic and seeking to take shelter at a safe location.

The attacks in Afghanistan had increased since the Taliban took control over the country. Even, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), earlier this month, released a report outlining the human rights situation in Afghanistan over the 10 months since the Taliban takeover.

The report summarises UNAMA's findings with regards to the protection of civilians, extrajudicial killings, torture and ill-treatment, arbitrary arrests and detentions, the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan, fundamental freedoms and the situation in places of detention. The report also contains recommendations to both the de facto authorities and the international community.

Despite an overall, significant reduction in armed violence, between mid-August 2021 and mid-June 2022, UNAMA recorded 2,106 civilian casualties.

According to the UN report, the majority of civilian casualties were attributed to targeted attacks by the armed group self-identified as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant - Khorasan Province against ethnic and religious minority communities in places where they go to school, worship and go about their daily lives.

Moreover, some journalists criticized security institutions and said that journalists are not allowed to cover security events, reported Tolo News.

"Unfortunately, when an incident occurs, the security forces of the Islamic Emirate do not allow journalists to enter the scene of the incident," said Mustafa Shahryar, a journalist.