Taliban fire rockets at Kabul peace assembly (Second Lead)
By IANSWednesday, June 2, 2010
KABUL - Taliban guerrillas launched two rockets at the national peace assembly or “jirga” inaugurated by President Hamid Karzai in the Afghan capital but there were no casualties, an official said.
Sporadic firing took place in Afshar area, about 1.5 km from the heavily-guarded jirga venue, following the attack.
The rockets landed near the Intercontinental Hotel close to the venue of the National Consultative Peace Jirga while Karzai was delivering his speech, a security official said.
The Taliban said it sent four suicide bombers, equipped with suicide vests, rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles.
They said they had occupied a building and were still attempting to disrupt the jirga, Xinhua quoted Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid as saying over telephone from an unknown location.
Around 1,600 people including tribal chieftains, MPs, social and political figures as well as government officials gathered Wednesday under a giant tent in Kabul to discuss the government-initiated reconciliation process with the Taliban.
On Tuesday, the Taliban termed the government-initiated jirga as phoney and vowed to continue its war.
