Rocket lands near major Afghan meeting

A rocket landed close to the venue of a major gathering being held in Afghan capital Kabul to discuss future relations with the United States, police said Thursday. Two rockets were fired into the city shortly after 8:00 am (0330 GMT), before day two of the loya jirga or traditional meeting had started. The interior ministry said one person was slightly injured in the rocket attacks. "It's apparently rocket shots fired into Kabul," said Kabul police chief Mohammad Ayoub Salangi after witnesses reported hearing two loud explosions. Interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said one of the rockets landed in an area next to the Intercontinental Hotel, about 500 metres (yards) away from the jirga venue. The Taliban had threatened to attack the loya jirga, a traditional meeting of elders convened by President Hamid Karzai to discuss a strategic partnership with the United States, plus a peace strategy. During Afghanistan's last loya jirga in 2010, militants fired rockets at the event in a breach of security that led to two ministers resigning. An AFP reporter at the scene said the rocket had hit a pile of dirt on a street where people parked handcarts used to sell vegetables. Windows in buildings nearby were shattered and police sealed off the area. A witness who did not want to give his name said: "The sound of the explosion was huge. I thought it was a suicide bombing. When we came out, I saw the injured person lying down. He had injuries to his shoulder. The flesh on his shoulder had gone."