Several gunmen on an apparent suicide mission attempted to launch an attack on the Indian consulate in western Afghanistan early Friday morning, police and government officials said.
Armed with machine guns and grenades, the men tried to storm the consulate in the city of Herat at around 3 a.m. local time, the BBC reported. The men reportedly entered homes outside the consulate and began to open fire on the consulate grounds. Their assault was suspended by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and the Afghan National Army after several hours of gunfire.
It was not immediately clear how many gunmen attempted the attack, but reports say there were three or four.
"There were three suicide bombers armed with AK-47s, RPGs, hand grenades and suicide vests," Herat police Chief General Samihullah Qatra told Reuters.
A car bomb also reportedly exploded near the consulate. Officials from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police fended off the attackers until the Afghan Army forces arrived. The consulate was not damaged and there were no severe injuries.
"Our security forces killed all of them. Only five of our security forces were wounded," Qatra told Reuters.
The identities of the gunmen are not yet known, CNN reported. The motive for the assault is also not yet known.
The attack occurred the day before Afghan President Hamid Karzai is to attend the inauguration of new Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BBC reported.
Other attacks on consulates in Herat, said to be one of the country's safest cities, have been carried out by suspected militants from the al Qaeda-linked group Haqqani. The group is believed to be connected to Pakistani military intelligence, the BBC reported.
Indian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh is keeping an eye on events as they unfold in Herat, India Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Syed Akbaruddin tweeted.
