Bomb near US embassy in Kabul injures 2

At least two people have been injured in a bomb explosion near the US embassy in the Afghan capital of Kabul, police say.

The blast occurred at a main square near the embassy and the country’s Supreme Court on Monday. Police said the blast was caused by a magnetic bomb attached to a military vehicle.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, although Afghan officials regularly blame Taliban for such incidents.

On Monday, Afghan authorities confirmed that Taliban have overrun the police headquarters in the Dahan-e-Ghori district in northern Baghlan Province.

There was no immediate word on casualties, but the militants claimed they had killed and captured “many” policemen.

Taliban militants frequently attack police checkpoints to seize vehicles, weapons and ammunition. They have stepped up assaults in various regions of Afghanistan in recent months.

Last month, a UN report said at least 1,601 civilians had been killed and 3,565 wounded in the first six months of 2016 as a result of violence in Afghanistan.

The northern province of Baghlan, it said, was among the worst-hit areas by the nationwide conflict that is still affecting at least 29 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.

According to the report, Afghanistan recorded the highest number of child casualties in 2015 since the UN began documenting civilian deaths and injuries in 2009.

A large number of civilians, including children, have been killed in the US-led airstrikes across various parts of Afghanistan over the past years.