U.S.

Militant Attack Just Misses Jim Mattis At Afghanistan Airport

More than two dozen rockets blew up at a Kabul airport just hours after Mattis left it.

Militant Attack Just Misses Jim Mattis At Afghanistan Airport
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SMS

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis may have been targeted for assassination in a militant attack in Afghanistan on Wednesday.

Just hours after Mattis' flight touched down in Kabul, Afghanistan, more than two dozen rockets went off around the airport.

Mattis was no longer there, but 11 civilians were reportedly injured, and one woman was killed. 

Both ISIS and the Taliban claim to be responsible for the attack. Mattis' trip wasn't publicized, but two Taliban commanders told NBC News they were tipped off about his arrival. 

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At least five Afghan civilians were injured by a malfunctioning missile in the U.S. counter-attack.

The NATO-led mission responsible for the counterattack said in a statement it "deeply regrets the harm to noncombatants."

This was Mattis' first trip to Afghanistan since President Donald Trump announced his new strategy for the war in Afghanistan.