Insurgents Fire Rockets in Afghan Capital

Posted November 17th, 2011 at 7:35 am (UTC-5)
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Afghan officials say insurgents have fired two rockets in the capital, Kabul, as leaders gather for the second day of talks about relations with the United States.

Officials said the attacks Thursday wounded one person, and that one of the rockets landed as close as one kilometer from the meeting site.

The second rocket hit farther away, breaking windows in an area where merchants sell vegetables.

Authorities say at least one person has been arrested in connection with the attacks, responsibility for which was claimed by the Taliban.

The militant group has threatened to disrupt the four-day loya jirga, or grand council, where more than 2,000 Afghan politicians, tribal elders and community leaders are discussing key issues including possible peace talks with the Taliban.

During a similar meeting in 2010, Taliban militants wounded three civilians in an attack near where the jirga was being held.

President Hamid Karzai said Wednesday that a strategic partnership with the United States, under which some U.S. troops will remain in Afghanistan after 2014, will come with conditions. He said his country wants its sovereignty and an end to night raids.

There are more than 130,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan as part of a NATO-led coalition, mostly from the United States. All international combat troops are due to leave the country by the end of 2014.