Six rockets land near Kabul airport after Jim Mattis arrives; ISIS claims responsibility

A rocket landed near Kabul's international airport on Wednesday after the US Defense Secretary James Mattis arrived in the Afghan capital.

The volley of missiles struck near the military section of the airport but there were no casualties or immediate claim of responsibility, interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish told AFP.

Police have cordoned off the area to find the exact location from which the rockets were fired, he said, adding that no flights were cancelled.

The Islamic State has claimed the responsibility.

Mattis arrived in Kabul with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, to discuss ways to implement President Donald Trump's strategy of winning the war in Afghanistan with President Ashraf Ghani.

Mattis is set to hold talks with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and other Afghan government ministers. 

Mattis' unannounced visit to Afghanistan, after his two-day trip in India, assumes significance as President Trump said that he would rely on greater regional cooperation to stabilise the security situation in Afghanistan. 

(With agency inputs)