The Taliban fired two missiles on a coalition military base in Afghanistan’s Khost province on Tuesday in the first attack on foreign forces there since a US withdrawal agreement was reached last year.
The missile attack, claimed by Taliban social media accounts, was confirmed by the US military and Afghan security officials.
“Taliban fired indiscriminate rocket missiles on the military headquarters of coalition forces in Khost city in violation of Doha agreement,” read a statement by the Khost Protection Force (KPF), a US-backed militia.
The missiles landed on civilian homes in the village of Landi, on the outskirts of Khost city, the statement continued. No casualties were reported.
The insurgent group blamed the US-backed KPF for provoking the incident, the first since the signing of the Doha peace agreement with the administration of former US president Donald Trump.
“The Americans were repeatedly asked that the KPF, which belongs to the Americans in Khost, shouldn’t have conducted any operations as per the Doha agreement. But they repeatedly violated [the agreement] and today these invaders were targeted,” an account associated with the Taliban’s leader in Doha, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, claimed.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid added that the attack was in response to an operation by pro-government forces in Sabari district. The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission is currently investigating claims the attack killed nearly 20 civilians, including women and children.
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