French soldiers and Afghan officials inspect the scene of a suicide attack near the Italian embassy in Kabul in September 2012. (Photo by S. Sabawoon/EPA)
VICE News is covering the ongoing fight for the future of Afghanistan. Click here for more from the Enduring Freedom blog.A rocket landed inside the Italian embassy compound in Kabul on Sunday, a day before a meeting of Afghan and international officials aimed at laying the groundwork for possible peace talks with the Taliban.Luciano Pezzotti, the Italian ambassador in Kabul, was quoted in the Italian press as saying the attack was not directed specifically at the embassy. The Italian embassy is located between the US embassy and the Afghan presidential palace. Insurgents have been known to fire rockets toward the area from the outskirts of Kabul with no specific target in mind.Two security guards sustained minor injuries. There was no word on damage to the diplomatic compound. The blast is the latest in a series of bombings in Kabul, and the second rocket attack on highly secure areas of the city.Related: Suicide Bombing Kills 13 at Welcome Home Party for Prisoner Released by the TalibanFollowing 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 road map for a negotiated settlement with the Taliban.The Taliban, which has been increasingly successful on the battlefield since international troops ended most combat operations in 2014, have yet to agree to take part in the process.Follow VICE News on Twitter: @vicenewsWatch the VICE News documentary Embedded in Northern Afghanistan: The Resurgence of the Taliban:
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