The Indian consulate in the Afghan city of Mazar-i-sharif came under attack from unknown armed attackers at night on Sunday. After the initial attacks were repulsed, the attackers found their way into a building in close proximity to the Indian consulate building and have continued to mount attacks from inside that building.
The attackers first tried to storm the building by firing rockets and other heavy weapons. After these initial attacks were repulsed, the Afghan security forces started fighting the armed assailants. They engaged in long-drawn gun battles with these fighters for most of Monday. It is not certain when the situation may be resolved completely. The Afghan forces have made it a policy to proceed slowly and with caution in their operation because they would like to minimize civilian or other casualties as much as possible, according to the Times of India.
The Indian consulate has confirmed that no diplomatic staff or anyone else inside the compound of the consulate is dead or missing. The staff is, however, trapped inside the building until the fighting is over or the armed attackers are defeated.
No group has claimed responsibility for these attacks. Even the number of attackers involved is uncertain. A Taliban spokesperson denied that any of their fighters were involved in this attack, according the Voice of America News.
This is not the first time that Indian diplomatic installations have come under armed attack in Afghanistan. The Indian consulates in the cities of Jalalabad and Heart were attacked in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The latest attack also comes against the backdrop of increasing Indian involvement in Afghanistan. In the last few weeks, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Kabul to inaugurate the new Parliament complex in Kabul. The Indian state has built the complex as a gesture of its friendship with the Afghan people and state, according to First Post.
