Passengers and crew on board a Delhi-bound SpiceJet aircraft had a narrow escape on Wednesday when Taliban militants attacked the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, PTI reported. At the time of the rocket attack, SpiceJet’s SG-22 flight from Kabul to Delhi was preparing for takeoff.
“The boarding for SpiceJet flight SG-22 operating from Kabul to Delhi was almost complete when the incident took place,” an unidentified spokesperson of the carrier said. “Passengers and crew were safely deboarded, and taken to the terminal building. There was no damage to the aircraft.”
The aircraft carrying nearly 180 passengers and crew was supposed to take off at 11.20 am. However, with the Kabul airport now closed, it is likely to take off on Thursday, The Times of India reported.
At least one civilian was killed and four others were injured in Wednesday’s attack. The Taliban claimed that their target was United States Secretary of Defence James Mattis. The rockets had landed shortly after Mattis and the chief of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Jens Stoltenberg arrived in Kabul. Later in the day, three explosions were reported near the airport.
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