Incident Summary:

03/09/2020: Assailants positioned in a hatchback vehicle fired four rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) rounds at the inauguration ceremony of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. At least one police officer was injured in the blasts. The Khorasan Chapter of the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

GTD ID:
202003090002

When:
2020-03-09

Country:
Afghanistan

Region:
South Asia

Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:

Kabul

City:
Kabul

Attack Information
Type of Attack (more) Bombing/Explosion
Successful Attack? (more) Yes
Target Information (more)
Target Type: Government (General)
Name of Entity Government of Afghanistan
Specific Description Inauguration Ceremony of President Ashraf Ghani
Nationality of Target Afghanistan
Target Type: Police
Name of Entity Afghan Police
Specific Description Officers
Nationality of Target Afghanistan
Additional Information
Hostages No
Ransom No
Property Damage Yes
Extent of Property Damage Minor (likely < $1 million)
Value of Property Damage Unknown
Weapon Information
Type Sub-type
Explosives Projectile (rockets, mortars, RPGs, etc.)
Weapon Details
Four rockets fired from a hatchback vehicle were used in the attack.
Additional Information
Suicide Attack?No
Part of Multiple Incident?No
Criterion 1 (more) Yes
Criterion 2 (more) Yes
Criterion 3 (more) Yes
Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) No
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name Claimed Responsibility
Khorasan Chapter of the Islamic State Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: Posted to website, blog, etc.)
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators Unknown
Number of Captured Perpetrators 0
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties 0 Fatalities / 1 Injured
Total Number of Fatalities 0
Number of U.S. Fatalities 0
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities 0
Total Number of Injured 1
Number of U.S. Injured 0
Number of Perpetrators Injured 0
Sources
"Rockets fired at Presidential Palace during Ghani speech," Pajhwok Afghan News English, March 9, 2020.
"ISIS claims responsibility for attack targeting presidential inauguration in Kabul," MENA English (Middle East and North Africa Financial Network), March 9, 2020.
"Suspected rocket attack on Afghan inauguration," Yahoo! India, March 9, 2020.