Blast near US Embassy in Kabul marks early hours of 9/11 anniversary (PHOTOS)
A large explosion went off in the vicinity of the US Embassy in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, moments after midnight on the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, footage from the scene shows.
A column of smoke was captured in photos early Wednesday morning, thought to be near the US Embassy in Kabul’s “exclusion zone.” The Afghan Defense Ministry said a rocket hit an “external wall” near its headquarters, but confirmed no casualties.
#Breaking: Just in - Huge explosion being reported in #Kabul, near the #US embassy building in the exclusion zone of #Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/3WXRlIUqiF
— Sotiri Dimpinoudis (@sotiridi) September 10, 2019
A US Embassy official has confirmed the blast to PBS, but had no further details. Some reports said ambulance sirens could be heard in the area around the embassy.
UPDATE: Ambulance sirens in the vicinity of US embassy raise fears that there may be casualties. Waiting for further information. #Kabul#Afghanistanpic.twitter.com/oB61UlLYP7
— FJ (@Natsecjeff) September 10, 2019
Following a string of bombings in Kabul and elsewhere in Afghanistan over the last week, US President Donald Trump called off negotiations with the Taliban that had been ongoing for over a year, insisting the talks were “dead.”
The militant group responded harshly to the abrupt about-face, vowing to wage “jihad” against the United States and renew efforts to capture new territory in Afghanistan.
Also on rt.com Taliban threatens US with jihad, seizes more land in Afghanistan after failed peace talksThe peace negotiations – which were in their final stages, only requiring a final sign-off from both parties – were meant to smooth the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and ensure the Taliban did not use the country as a terrorist “safe haven.” However, the US-backed Afghan national government remained skeptical that the militant group would stick to the deal.
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