Huge Taliban bomb in Kabul kills 14, wounds over 100

A massive Taliban bomb in Kabul on Wednesday killed 14 people and injured 145, as the latest attack by insurgents.

The latest surge in violence has seen 1,500 people killed or injured in July, despite efforts by the US to find a solution to the ongoing war with the Taliban.

AFP reported a black smoke over western Kabul following a massive explosion at the entrance to a police compound around 9am (4:30am GMT).

The Afghan interior ministry said the explosion was caused by a car bomb, while a security official and the Taliban told AFP a truck bomb was used in the attack.

Images on social media showed toppled blast walls surrounding several largely destroyed buildings in a compound.

Afghan authorities said at least ten civilians and four police officers were killed in the blast, while another 145 people, including 92 civilians, were wounded. 

"As the air cleared, I saw several women crying, desperately looking for their husbands or children near the blast site," local journalist Zakeria Hasani, who lives near the police station, told AFP. 

The US and the Taliban are attending an eighth round of talks in Doha, aimed at scaling back an American military presence in Afghanistan and obtaining a pledge from the Taliban not to allow terror groups to operate in the country.

Despite the spike in attacks, but sides have reported "excellent progress" in the talks.

The attack came after the Taliban warned Afghans on Tuesday to keep away from public gatherings ahead of the presidential election planned for 28 September.

The Taliban ordered their fighters to "stand against" the voting.

Previous elections have seen frequent attacks by militants trying to undermine Afghanistan's fragile democracy.