Rebel Rockets Hit Airport in Afghanistan, Ending Truce

A temporary Afghan cease-fire was in shreds Friday after a rocket destroyed a Russian military plane sent to airlift diplomats out of Kabul.

The dissident Hezb-i-Islami movement said Afghan MIG fighters and SU-22 bombers raided its bases south of Kabul after the government’s 10-hour cease-fire expired Friday afternoon.

The air raids took place hours after a rocket struck the airport, starting a fire that destroyed one of three Russian transport planes and injured four commandos.

“Hezb-i-Islami were responsible for the attack,” Afghan Foreign Minister Soleiman Gailani said. “I don’t know why, after they agreed yesterday to a cease-fire, they started shelling the airport.”

Hezb-i-Islami had announced a 72-hour cease-fire starting at midday Thursday at Pakistan’s request to allow a senior official to visit Kabul and to allow remaining diplomats to leave.

Three Russian Ilyushin 76 aircraft landed in Kabul just after dawn, taking advantage of the cease-fires by the rebels and the government after nearly three weeks of fighting.

Thirty minutes later a rocket, one of 15 fired at the airport, landed beside one plane, engulfing it in flames.

The other two planes flew out to Moscow via Tashkent, Uzbekistan, with 120 Russian diplomats and their families as well as Indian, Chinese and Indonesian officials. Fifty more Russians remained, including the ambassador and 10 commandos.

On Thursday, 14 rockets hit the Russian Embassy compound, slightly injuring two technicians. Rocket bombardments of the compound early this month killed two staff members and injured one.