34 killed in Kabul blast

At least 34 people killed and more than 65 injured after a powerful explosion near the US Embassy rocked Kabul. The attack comes as the Taliban and the United States hold talks in the Middle Eastern state of Qatar, where the militant group maintains a political office.

Kabul: As many as 34 people were killed and more than 65 others sustained injures after a powerful explosion near the US Embassy here rocked the Afghan capital on Monday.

Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said militants detonated the car bomb close to the Gulbahar Tower in the morning.

The explosion occurred as the streets in the capital were packed with morning commuters.

Kabul's chief police spokesman, Firdous Faramaz, could only confirm the explosion, but was unclear on the target or the type of explosive device.

Mohammad Karim, a police official in the area of the attack, said a car bomb exploded outside a defence ministry building.

Militants then ran into a nearby high-rise located in a crowded market and began firing down on the ministry, he added.

Police and special Afghan security forces were swarming the area and cordoned it off.

Both the Taliban and the Islamic State operate in Kabul.

The attack comes as the Taliban and the United States hold talks in the Middle Eastern state of Qatar, where the militant group maintains a political office.