Taliban attack Kabul as US envoy says deal almost final

The Taliban claimed responsibility for a large explosion in the Afghan capital Monday night, just hours after a U.S. envoy briefed the Afghan government on an agreement "in principle" with the insurgent group that would see 5,000 U.S. troops leave the country within five months.The explosion sent a plume of smoke into the night sky over Kabul and caused a nearby gasoline station to burst into flames.