A huge explosion has been reported outside a guest house in Kabul housing foreign contractors, including Americans.

Police say the explosion was felt throughout Kabul and knocked out power in the area surrounding the Northgate Hotel near the Kabul airport.

The Taliban says it set off a truck bomb outside the building, causing a large number of casualties. There was no independent verification of casualties.

An unidentified person who answered a telephone at the hotel had no information about what caused the blast but said all guests are accounted for.

The Taliban has a tradition of exaggerating claims,

 
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