An Afghan official says militants fired two rockets into the military side of the Kabul 
airport, striking President Hamid Karzai’s helicopter as it sat on the tarmac.
Abdul Wahab Wardak, the commander of the military airport, says only one of the two rockets exploded in today’s attack and no casualties were reported.
But he says the Russian-made military helicopter used to transport Karzai was set on fire.
The attack on the airport, which is in one of the most heavily guarded areas of the Afghan capital, underscores the resiliency of militants led by the Taliban who are fighting against the Western-backed government.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in an email message sent to a news agency claimed the responsibility for the attack on the airport, which has been targeted several times in recent years.
“There is loss of life and financial losses to the airport, and several planes were torched,” the Taliban said. The insurgents often exaggerate the impact of their attacks.
The strike comes a day after a Taliban suicide bomber in Kabul killed eight military officers travelling on a military bus.
All NATO combat troops will leave Afghanistan by December, with about 10,000 US troops staying into next year if the new president signs a security deal with Washington.
Insurgents have stepped up attacks as part of their annual summer offensive when they take advantage of warmer weather to move more freely in the mountainous country.