Attack on Indian consulate in Afghanistan foiled

Even as the operation against terrorists at the Pathankot airbase continued on Sunday, the Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif in Northern Afghanistan came under attack from four armed terrorists.

The commandos of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force, which guards the consulate building, were the first to engage with the terrorists for almost an hour and were able to thwart the attack.

DG ITBP Krishna Chowdhury told The Hindu , “our men engaged with the terrorists and managed to stop them before they could inflict any damage. The Afghan National Police had reached the consulate building by then and took over after that.”

The attack comes close on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Afghanistan a few days ago.

The officer added that the firing was directed at the consulate from an adjacent building and there were at least four armed men. Two of them were reported to have been killed.

“We were being shot at from all sides,” said Mr. Chowdhury.

“The gunmen attempted to enter the compound,” news agency Reuters quoted an official as saying.

“Our men managed to stop the terrorists before they could inflict any damage”


Source:- The Hindu, 04-Jan-2016