Large blast in Afghan capital targets international compound

A loud explosion rocked the Afghan capital Kabul on Monday, which officials said targeted the Green Village, a large compound to the east of the city used by several international organisations and guesthouses.

interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahmi confirmed that the Green Village compound was the target of the blast, which sent a plume of smoke into the night sky over Kabul. Another interior ministry official, Bahar Maher, told the local TOLO news channel that the blast was caused by a car bomb.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility or any information on casualties.

The explosion came as U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was visiting Kabul to brief Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on a draft peace accord reached with the Taliban that could see thousands of U.S. troops withdrawn from Afghanistan.

The Green Village has been a frequent target of attacks. Many foreigners live in the compound, which is heavily guarded by Afghan forces and private security guards.

The compound was also targeted by a suicide car bomber in January who killed at least four people and wounded scores. That blast also occurred when the U.S. envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, was visiting the capital to brief the Afghan government on his negotiations with the Taliban on ending America's longest war.

Earlier on Monday, Khalilzad showed the draft U.S.-Taliban to the Afghan president after declaring that they are "at the threshold of an agreement."

Khalilzad has met twice with President Ashraf Ghani after arriving Sunday evening from Qatar, where the ninth round of U.S.-Taliban talks ended. However, reflecting the sensitivity of the negotiations and the Afghan government's sidelined role in the talks so far, it was not clear whether Ghani was given the draft to keep.

"We have reached an agreement with the Taliban in principle but of course until the U.S. president agrees with it, it isn't final," Khalilzad told the local TOLO news channel. He said that under the deal, the first 5,000 U.S. troops would withdraw within 135 days from five bases in Afghanistan. Between 14,000 and 13,000 troops are currently in the country.