Suicide blast rocks Indian consulate in Afghanistan, 4 terrorists killed
No militant group has so far claimed responsibility for the assault, combing operations on.
Explosions and gunfire echoed Wednesday as militants attacked the Indian consulate in Jalalabad in the latest assault to rattle the eastern Afghan city. According to reports, all 4 terrorists have been killed and combing operations are on.
No militant group has so far claimed responsibility for the assault and no fatalities were immediately reported.
All Indians are reported to be safe; 10 people, including a child, have reportedly been injured.
Indian foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said, -"Our consulate has been targeted but everyone is safe.-"
A grenade was reportedly lobbed inside the compound of the consulate around noon.
According to Afghan media reports, four attackers are involved in the attack, including a suicide bomber.
According to reports, The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), which guards the consulate, and Afghan security forces are engaged in a fierce gunbattle with at least three terrorists who are reportedly holed up inside a nearby guest house.
A shopkeeper near the consulate said that he saw several injured people lying around the area after a -"big boom-" shattered his windows.
The area, also home to other diplomatic missions, has repeatedly come under attack in recent months.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which followed a suicide attack on the nearby Pakistani consulate in January. That attack was claimed by Islamic State, which has a growing presence in Nangarhar province, of which Jalalabad is the capital.
Nangarhar, of which Jalalabad is the capital, faces an emerging threat from loyalists of the Islamic State group, which controls territory across Syria and Iraq and is making gradual inroads in Afghanistan -- challenging the Taliban on their own turf.
In January, India's consulate in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif was also attacked by insurgents.
The attack comes as direct peace talks are expected to start this week between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
The explosion comes days after dozens of people were killed or wounded in suicide attacks in Kabul and the eastern province of Kunar, casting doubt on efforts to revive the stalled peace process with the Taliban.