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Blast heard near US Embassy in Kabul on 9/11 anniversary

Posted at 4:49 PM, Sep 10, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-10 17:52:43-04

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A large explosion has been heard in Afghanistan's capital near the U.S. Embassy shortly after midnight on the anniversary of the 9/11 attack on the United States.

A plume of smoke rose early Wednesday over Kabul. An embassy employee reached by phone confirmed the blast but had no details.

It would be the first major attack in the Afghan capital since President Donald Trump abruptly called off U.S.-Taliban talks on the brink of an apparent deal to end America's longest war.

Two Taliban car bombs shook Kabul last week, killing several civilians and two members of the NATO mission. Trump has cited the death of a U.S. service member in one of those blasts as the reason why he now calls the U.S.-Taliban talks "dead."