As many as five rockets were fired at the Kabul airport but were intercepted by a missile defence system on Monday, a day after the US carried out an airstrike on Sunday night in the Afghan capital on an explosives-laden vehicle, an American official told Reuters. The US official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the rockets were fired early Monday morning Kabul time, though it was unclear if all were brought down by the defence system. This came even as the United States nears the complete withdrawal of its troops from the city.

The official also told Reuters that initial reports did not indicate any US casualties but that information could change.

Earlier in the day, AFP journalists in Kabul said they could hear the sound of rockets flying across the city even as the United States raced to complete its withdrawal from Afghanistan, with the evacuation of civilians all but over, amid fears of terror attacks. People living near the airport said they heard the sounds of the missile defence system being activated and smoke could be seen rising near the airport, AFP reported.