Blast near Italian embassy in Kabul a day before quadrilateral meeting

KABUL: A rocket landed near the Italian embassy in Kabul on Sunday, a police official said, a day before a meeting of Afghan and international officials aimed at laying the groundwork for possible peace talks with the Taliban.

The official, who asked not to be named, said there was no immediate word on any casualties or damage from the blast, which followed a series of suicide attacks in Kabul earlier this month.

It was not immediately clear whether the embassy, which is located near other foreign missions, was specifically targeted.

Following talks in Islamabad last week, officials from Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and China are due to resume meeting in Kabul on Monday to try to agree a roadmap for a negotiated settlement with the insurgents.

The Taliban, increasingly successful on the battlefield since international troops ended most combat operations in 2014, have yet to agree to take part in the process.