Close shave for SpiceJet flight during rocket attack at Kabul airport

It was a close shave for a SpiceJet flight operating between Kabul-Delhi when several rockets were fired close to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul as the boarding of the flight was almost complete at the time when incident took place.

"The boarding for SpiceJet flight SG 22 operating Kabul-Delhi was almost complete when the incident took place. Passengers and crew were safely deboarded and taken to the terminal building. There was no damage to the aircraft," said a SpiceJet spokesperson.

The rockets were fired at the airport just hours after U.S. Defence Secretary James Mattis landed in Afghanistan's capital to hold talks with President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday.

The Taliban on Wednesday claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks near the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, saying that US Defense Secretary James Mattis and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg were their targets.

Hamid Karzai International Airport is located 5 km from the city centre of Kabul and serves as one of the country's largest military bases, used by the United States Armed Forces and NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).