Afghanistan installs anti-missile system at Kabul airport to counter Taliban rockets

The Afghan government says it has installed an anti-missile system at Kabul airport to counter possible rocket attacks by militants, as the Taliban claim to control 85 percent of the country.

“The newly installed air defense system has been operational in Kabul since 2:00 am Sunday,” the Afghan Interior Ministry said in a statement, adding, “The system has proven useful in the world in repelling rocket and missile attacks.”

Ajmal Omar Shinwari, a spokesman for Afghan security forces said the system was given by “our foreign friends.”

“It has very complicated technology. For now our foreign friends are operating it while we are trying to build the capacity to use it,” he said.

Since the US started the formal withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan, in May — with a delay in a deadline agreed with the Taliban — the militants have intensified attacks across the country.

The Taliban say they now hold 85 percent of Afghanistan, controlling about 250 of the country’s nearly 400 districts.

In recent weeks, the Taliban’s rapid gains have raised fears about the security of the capital and its airport, a vital exit route to the outside world for foreign diplomats and aid workers.

Turkey has promised to secure Kabul airport once United States and NATO troops leave next month. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently said Turkey and the US had agreed on the “scope” of how the airport would be managed under the control of Turkish forces.