8 years ago
Friday, September 13, 2013
Breaking News: Afghanistan Taliban attacks US consulate
About seven heavily armed Taliban suicide attackers struck the US consulate in the Afghan city of Herat in the early house hours of today, setting off two car bombs and sparking a shootout with US forces.
The well planned attack in the western city, a key business hub near the Iranian border, underscored how the Taliban are able to strike outside their main centres in the south and east.
At least one Afghan guard was killed in the attack and several other people wounded, but US officials said there were no US casualties with all consulate staff safe and already accounted for.
The US State Department said the attackers appeared to be wearing suicide vests and detonated a truck bomb that "extensively" damaged the front gate.
Afghan security officials said six attackers took part in the assault, detonating a minivan bomb and then a four-wheel drive vehicle, before engaging in a gunbattle with security forces.
The attack comes days after Pakistan said it would soon release its top Taliban prisoner, former military chief Abdul Ghani Baradar, in what Afghan officials hope can ignite peace talks.
The Taliban publicly refuse to negotiate with the Afghan government, branding Afghan President Hamid Karzai a US puppet, but opened a liaison office in Qatar in June billed as a step towards talks with the Americans on a possible prisoner swap.
View gallery."Afghanistan unrest
Map locating Herat in Afghanistan. Seven heavily armed Taliban suicide attackers have struck the US
"Today at around 5:30 am, a minivan suicide bomber detonated his car outside the US consulate in Herat city," Abdul Hameed Hameedi, the deputy security chief of Herat province told AFP.
"Another suicide bomber driving a four-wheel drive detonated outside the first gate of the US consulate -- damaging the gate.
"After that five suicide bombers engaged in a gunbattle with the Afghan security forces, and after a while, all of these suicide bombers get killed in the attack," Hameedi added.
He said an Afghan guard at the US consulate was killed and two other guards and two policemen were wounded.
A number of civilians were also wounded because of the powerful explosions.
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