In conjunction with the visit of an American envoy .. Taliban adopt a cable bombing that left dozens of dead and wounded

KABUL (Reuters) - The Afghan Taliban claimed responsibility for a car bomb in the Afghan capital Kabul on Monday that killed 16 people and wounded 119, and affected houses several kilometers from the scene of the attack.

The bombing came during a visit by US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad to brief President Ashraf Ghani on a draft agreement reached with the Taliban and could result in the withdrawal of thousands of US troops from the country.

"Sixteen people were killed and 119 wounded in yesterday's attack. The explosion was caused by a booby-trapped bulldozer," Interior Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi said in a letter to reporters. Search and rescue operations continued overnight, he said.

The explosion took place near a huge compound east of Kabul used by international staff called the Green Village, which led to a plume of smoke and flames.

The Green Village is separated from the heavily guarded Green Zone, which is heavily guarded around the clock, and has several embassies, including the US and British embassies.

The Taliban adopts
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, noting that their spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, was carrying out a coordinated attack by a suicide bomber and gunmen.

Mujahid said the attack targeted foreign troops, adding that a suicide bomber blew up a car and several assailants stormed the compound.

The attack took place at a time when "Tolo News" television broadcast an interview with the US envoy, who said that his country would withdraw its troops from five bases in this country if the Taliban abide by the terms of the peace agreement being negotiated.

The deal includes the Taliban's pledge not to allow Afghanistan to use a base for militant groups, including al Qaeda and the Islamic State, to attack the United States and its allies.

The bombing angered the residents of the area around the village of Green, who demonstrated to demand the departure of international organizations from their area, and protesters set fire to tires and blocked the main road beside the scene of the attack.

"We want these foreigners to leave our area," a local resident told AFP. "This is not the first time we have suffered because of them. We no longer want them here anymore."

Preliminary agreement
On the other hand, said the US envoy to Afghanistan that his country will withdraw five thousand troops from five bases in Afghanistan under the agreement with the Taliban.

Al-Jazeera correspondent quoted an Afghan government source as saying that during the talks in Kabul, the president had been briefed on the details of the ninth round of negotiations with the Taliban hosted by the Qatari capital Doha.

After talks between Zad and the Afghan president, a spokesman for Ghani said that the president will respond to the draft agreement between the US administration and the Taliban after studying and consultation with leaders of political parties.