Taliban attack Afghan 'peace jirga'

KABUL, Afghanistan, June 2 (UPI) -- Suspected Afghan militants attacked a peace meeting of tribal elders in Kabul Wednesday, with rockets landing nearby and three people dying, police said.

Officials said two attackers were killed and one was captured, the BBC reported.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai had said he wanted to use the three-day "peace jirga" to collect support for his plan to offer reformed Taliban militants economic incentives.

The sound of the explosions and gunfire could be heard during Karzai's opening remarks, the British broadcaster said.

"Someone is trying with a rocket perhaps," Karzai told the estimated 1,600 delegates. "Don't worry about it; let's proceed."

Staffan de Mistura, the United Nations' top envoy to Afghanistan, said the jirga participants froze as the rockets landed.

"All stood (still) including 300 women, they were defiant," de Mistura said. "The signal was 'we are used to this, we are ready for it but we want to continue.'"

One of the event's organizers said three militants dressed in burqas were involved in the attack.

Police said at least three rockets were fired but all missed their mark, The Times of London reported.

"The security situation is now completely under control," government spokesman Farouq Wardak said.

The meeting is set to go on for another two days.