Deadly Taliban Attack In Kabul Rattles US Deal On Ending War

KABUL: The Taliban on Tuesday defended their suicide bombing against an international compound in the Afghan capital that killed at least 16 civilians and wounded 119 people, just hours after a US envoy said he and the militant group had reached a deal “in principle” to end America’s longest war.

Angry Kabul residents whose homes were shredded in the explosion climbed over the buckled blast wall and set part of the compound, a frequent target of the militants, on fire.

Thick smoke rose from the Green Village, home to several foreign organizations and guesthouses, whose location has become a peril to nearby local residents as well.

“People were screaming and saying, ‘My children are trapped in the rubble,’” one witness, Faiz Ahmad, said. A large crater was left in the street.