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.

Terrorist israeli forces have arrested a 15-year-old girl over an alleged attempt by her to stab an Israeli soldier in the West Bank.

Amaal Kabha was alleged to have attempted a knife attack against an Israeli soldier near Umm al-Rayhan (Shakid) checkpoint, west of Jenin, on Sunday evening, according to the Palestinian Information Center (PIC).

Amaal was transferred to an interrogation center run by Israel’s internal spy agency, Shin Bet, the report said, adding that the Israeli army has also launched a manhunt for her parents.

The Israeli forces also arrested the girl’s brothers, Mohamed Kabha, 20, and Sanad Kabha, 21, in a raid on Umm al-Rayhan.

Also in Jenin, Israeli forces arrested two other young men on Sunday night.

According to local sources, the Israeli troops stopped a vehicle on the road leading to the villages of eastern Jenin, and arrested Mohamed Abul-Hassan, 18.

Muamen Assabagh, 22, was also arrested at a makeshift checkpoint set up by the Israeli army west of Jenin.

It was not clear why the two Palestinians were arrested.

Israeli police arrest a Palestinian protester during a demonstration in Ashkelon, August 9, 2016. (Photo by AFP)
The occupied Palestinian territories have been the scene of heightened tensions since August 2015, when Israel imposed restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East al-Quds (Jerusalem).

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam after Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina.

The Palestinians say the Tel Aviv regime seeks to change the status quo of the sacred site.

More than 220 Palestinians have lost their lives at the hands of Israeli forces in the tensions since the beginning of last October.