Explosions and gunfire have rung out at the Indian Consulate in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif. An unknown number of gunmen reportedly attempted to enter the consulate. Two explosions and shots could be heard just moments prior to an attempt by militant gunmen to storm the site of the Indian diplomatic mission, said a spokesperson for the local governor. A consulate official told AFP by telephone from inside the compound: “We are being attacked. Fighting is going on.” The official, who was in a secure area within the complex, said all consulate staff were safe and accounted for. No Indian casualties have been reported so far, India’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup told AFP. Security officials had cordoned off the area. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred just days after Indian Premier Narendra Modi visited Kabul and engaged in a diplomatic outreach effort with Pakistan. Mazar-i-Sharif is located some 430 km northwest of Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul.
