Three Rockets Strike Kandahar Airport As Taliban Intensifies Offensive Against Afghan Govt

Kandahar airport in southern Afghanistan was hit by at least three rockets overnight on Sunday, AFP quoted airport chief Massoud Pashtun as saying. This comes amidst swift advance of the Taliban in the country.

The attack on the airport came as the Taliban inched closer to overrunning two other provincial capitals, Herat in the west and Lashkar Gah in the south.

"Last night three rockets were fired at the airport and two of them hit the runway... Due to this all flights from the airport have been cancelled," he was quoted as saying by HT. He added work to repair the runway was underway and expected the airport to be operational later on Sunday.

The Taliban have been launching withering attacks on the outskirts of Kandahar - the group's birth place. This has stirred fears that the insurgents will soon capture the provincial capital. The capture of a major urban centre like Kandahar would take their current offensive to another level.

The attack on Kandahar's air base is significant as it is vital to providing the logistics and air support needed to keep the militants from overrunning Afghanistan's second-biggest city.

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