Several dead after Kabul car bomb blast

Seven people were killed and seven injured when a car bomb detonated near the airport and the Afghan Interior Ministry headquarters in Afghanistan's capital of Kabul on Wednesday.

Photos shared on social media showed a giant white plume of smoke rising from the area of the explosion.

What we know so far:

• Nasrat Rahimi, a spokesman for the interior ministry, said the blast occured in the Qasaba area in city police district 15.
• Rahimi said the number of casualties could rise.
• The target of the attack was not immediately clear. An investigation is underway at the scene.
• No one has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Fragile peace

The blast came one day after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced that Kabul would release three high-ranking Taliban prisoners in an apparent prisoner swap with Western hostages who were kidnapped by the insurgents in 2016. The Taliban prisoners include Anas Haqqani, who was seized in 2014 and whose older brother is the deputy Taliban leader and head of the Haqqani network.

Stalled talks

Over the past year the US and the Taliban had been seeking a deal that would bring the insurgents to the table for peace talks with Kabul, and allow the US to begin withdrawing troops. But US President Donald Trump abruptly ended the negotiations in September, citing continued Taliban violence.

dv/se (AP, dpa, AFP, Reuters)

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