Car bomb kills 12 near Kabul airport

Nov. 13 (UPI) -- A car bomb exploded near the Kabul airport Wednesday, killing 12 people, including three children, Afghan officials said.

In addition to the dead, 20 others, including four foreigners who worked for the GardaWorld Security Company, sustained injuries, Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said. The ministry said the bomb was inside a vehicle owned by the firm.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

The attack came one day after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced the conditional release of three high-ranking Taliban members in exchange for two American university professors held captive by the Islamist militant group since 2016.

The prisoner exchange comes amid stalled peace talks between the United States and the Taliban following President Donald Trump declaring the process "dead" in September.

Ghani said the deal could prove as a launchpad for talks between his government and the Taliban, which has said it won't negotiate with the Middle Eastern government as they view it as a U.S. puppet regime.