Taliban kill at least 14, wound 145 in Kabul blast

At least 14 people were killed and 145 wounded in a massive Taliban bomb blast on Wednesday as fresh violence gripped Kabul even as insurgents appear to be closing in on a peace deal with the US.

The bloodshed in the capital comes amid an ongoing surge in attacks across Afghanistan, where some 1,500 people were killed or injured last month alone.

A huge plume of black smoke was seen rising over western Kabul following a massive explosion at the entrance to a police compound around 9:00 am (0430 GMT).

The Afghan interior ministry said the explosion was caused by a car bomb, but the Taliban, which claimed the attack, said it was a much larger truck bomb. An Afghan security official also told AFP it was a truck bomb.

Images on social media showed toppled blast walls surrounding several largely destroyed buildings in a compound.

Afghan authorities said at least 10 civilians and four police officers had been killed. Another 145 people, including 92 civilians, were wounded.

"As the air ...