Sep 3, 2019

Taliban claims Kabul blast as U.S. envoy outlines landmark Afghan deal

Rebecca Falconer

Smoke rises from the site of an attack after a massive explosion the night before near the Green Village in Kabul on September 3 — Smoke rises from the site of an attack on Tuesday after a massive explosion the night before near the Green Village in Kabul. Photo: Wakil Kohsar/AFP/Getty Images

The Taliban claimed responsibility for a bombing that killed at least 5 people and wounded 50 more in Kabul Monday, as President Trump's special envoy for Afghanistan visited the capital to draft a landmark peace accord, Reuters reports.

Why it matters: The powerful car bomb explosion occurred as United States envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was telling the Afghan broadcaster TOLOnews that the U.S. and the Taliban had struck an "in principle" agreement that would see 5,400 troops leave Afghanistan, in the first sign of a breakthrough in peace talks between the 2 sides.

The big picture: Per Reuters, Khalilzad was in Kabul to brief Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on the draft peace accord reached with the Taliban, which must be approved by President Trump. Trump's administration wants to move quickly toward a deal to end the nearly 18-year war in Afghanistan.

In exchange for the U.S. pulling out of Afghanistan, the Taliban would agree not to allow the country to be used as a base for attacks on the U.S. and its allies by militant groups including Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, or ISIS, Reuters notes.

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Taliban claims Kabul blast as U.S. envoy outlines landmark Afghan deal

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