Gunmen attack Indian Consulate in Afghanistan

Four heavily armed insurgents attacked the Indian consulate in western Afghanistan’s main city near the border with Iran on Friday, wounding at least two policemen, officials said.

The men used nearby houses to fire on the building with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, police said.

Two of the attackers were killed during a lengthy gun battle with security forces. The Indian foreign ministry said all of its personnel were safe.

Afghanistan has seen a surge in attacks in recent weeks as foreign troops begin to withdraw from the country.

Police say no consulate staff members were injured in Friday’s assault.

 

An Indian foreign ministry spokesman said an operation to repeal the attackers is underway.

 

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

The latest attack comes on the eve of the inauguration of new Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which will be attended by Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

 

Afghanistan in experiencing a rise in insurgent attacks as foreign troops plan to withdraw from the country by the end of the year.

Two attacks on the Indian Embassy in Kabul in 2008 and 2009 that killed 75 people.

Groups known for targeting Indian interests include Lashkar-e-Taiba, which was blamed for the 2008 attack on the Indian city of Mumbai that killed 166 people, and the Haqqani network, which is based in Pakistan’s lawless tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan.

Source: THE TIMES OF EARTH and agencies