5 Rockets Hit US Airbase In Afghanistan, Islamic State Claims Responsibility

The U.S. airbase in North of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Thursday was under a rocket attack which was claimed to be an act of the Islamic State militant group ISIS.

The base was attacked with five rockets. However, the hit did not cause any casualties.

The NATO-led mission, Resolute Support, confirmed the attack in a statement released saying "Five rockets were fired at Bagram airfield early this morning. There were no casualties."

The attack is suspected to have followed after Islamic State militants were excluded from a pact between Taliban militants and the United States after they agreed upon a deal to withdraw U.S. led international troops in exchange for Taliban security guarantees.

The Afghan government on Wednesday released 100 Taliban prisoners. The exchange was part of the U.S.-Taliban peace deal signed in Doha, Qatar last month.

"The government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan released 100 Taliban prisoners today based on their health condition, age and length of remaining sentence, as part of our efforts for peace," said Javid Faisal, spokesman for Afghanistan's Office of the National Security Council

The announcement came a day after the Taliban accused the government of intentionally delaying the transfer.

“Prisoners of the Islamic Emirate should have been released long before as per the signed agreement and paved the way for intra-Afghan negotiations. But, the relevant sides are deliberately delaying our prisoners’ release and thus violating the peace Agreement,” Suhail Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban's political office in Qatar wrote in his Twitter account.

“Therefore, the IEA [Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan] recalls, with immediate effect, its technical team from Kabul,” he added.

The prisoner exchange is considered to be an important move that is aimed to put an end to the decade-long war in Afghanistan. The pact also calls for the release of around 1,000 government officials that the Taliban has been holding as hostages. In return, the United States has promised to withdraw the U.S. and foreign troops from Afghanistan by July next year.

"I'm confident in the days ahead we'll have things that look like steps backward, but I'm also hopeful that all the parties are sincere and wanting what's good for the Afghan people," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a news conference held on Tuesday.