No casualties have been reported so far, authorities said.
Representational image (Photo: IStock)
A huge explosion occured near the US embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, on Wednesday, shortly after midnight the anniversary of the 9/11 attack in the US, according to officials.
No casualties have been reported so far, authorities said.
Images on social media show a plume of smoke rising near the building of the US embassy in the exclusion zone of Kabul where several other embassies are also located, Xinhua news agency reported.
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There was no comment from Afghan officials. The NATO mission, which is nearby, also said no personnel were injured.
It was the first major attack in the Afghan capital since US President Donald Trump abruptly called off US-Taliban talks over the weekend, on the brink of an apparent deal to end America’s longest war.
Last week, two Taliban car bombs shook Kabul that killed several civilians and two members of the NATO mission.
Trump said those attacks, in which one American soldier also died, were the reason he calls the US-Taliban talks are “dead”.
Following Trump’s comments, the Taliban pledged to continue fighting against US forces.
In a statement to Al Jazeera, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Washington would regret turning its back on talks spearheaded by high-level officials from both sides.
The 9/11 anniversary is a sensitive day in Afghanistan’s capital and one on which attacks have occurred.
A US-led invasion of Afghanistan shortly after the 2001 attack toppled the Taliban, who had harboured Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaida leader and attacks mastermind.
September 11 marks the 18th anniversary of the attacks by al-Qaeda on the World Trade Center in New York in 2001. The US invaded Afghanistan in late 2001 in response to the attacks.
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