This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/13/afghanistan-taliban-attack-us-consulate-herat

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Afghanistan: Taliban attack US consulate in Herat with suicide bomb, gunfire Afghanistan: Taliban attack US consulate in Herat with suicide bomb, gunfire
(about 4 hours later)
Several people died when Taliban militants staged a suicide car bombing and fired at security forces near the US consulate in the western Afghan city of Herat early on Friday. Taliban militants unleashed car bombs at a US Consulate in western Afghanistan on Friday morning, triggering a firefight with security forces in an attack that killed at least two Afghans.
Police said two Afghan security forces were killed, as were five of the attackers, while the US said all its consulate personnel were safe. Qari Yousef Ahmadi, a spokesman for the Taliban, claimed responsibility on behalf of the militant group, which has often staged combined car bomb and gun attacks. The US said all its personnel from the mission were safe and that American forces later secured the site.
The attack began around 6am with the powerful blast. The car bomber detonated his explosives about 70 yards from the consulate compound, said Sayed Fazlullah Wahidi, the governor of Herat province. Other militants then began firing on security forces. The attack in the city of Herat along with a suicide truck bombing in the country's east that wounded seven Afghans underscored the perilous security situation as US-led troops reduce their presence ahead of a full withdrawal next year. It was also a rude return to reality for Afghans who had spent a day and a half celebrating their nation's first international soccer championship.
Footage broadcast on Afghanistan's Tolo television network showed Afghan police dragging a badly bloodied person from the scene. It was unclear if he was dead or who he was. Rubble and twisted pieces of metal lay strewn in a seemingly wide area near the consulate, the footage showed. Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi took responsibility for the Herat attack in a phone call with the Associated Press.
General Rahmatullah Safi, chief of police in Herat province, initially said an Afghan translator who apparently worked for the consulate died in the attack, but later said that victim was more likely a private security guard working at the compound. According to General Rahmatullah Safi, Herat province's chief of police, the attack began around 6 am when militants in an SUV and a van set off their explosives-laden vehicles while others on foot fired on Afghan security forces guarding the compound.
An Afghan police officer was also killed, while an unclear number of police, guards and civilians were wounded. An Afghan police officer and an Afghan security guard were killed, though it was not clear whether they died in the explosions of the two vehicles or in the gunfire, Safi said. At least seven attackers were killed, including the two drivers of the explosives-laden vehicles, he said, and several people were wounded.
Safi said four militants were killed during the assault, as was the suicide car bomber, but the situation was under control about an hour after the start of the attack. US State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement that the assault began around 5.30 am, when "a truck carrying attackers drove to the front gate, and attackers possibly firing rocket propelled grenades and assault rifles started firing at Afghan forces and security guards on the exterior of the gates. Shortly after, the entire truck exploded, extensively damaging the front gate."
Robert Hilton, a US embassy spokesman, said "all consulate personnel are safe and accounted for". Rafi said US special forces entered the area to secure the compound, and that no attackers managed to breach it. Harf's statement said "American security personnel" were among the response team, and added that "it appears American and contract security personnel addressed any attackers who managed to enter the compound."
The attack underscored the perilous security situation in Afghanistan, where US-led troops are reducing their presence ahead of a full withdrawal planned for next year. The insurgent strikes are no longer concentrated in the country's south and east, but now also occur frequently in the north and west, previously more peaceful. Robert Hilton, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, said that "all consulate personnel are safe and accounted for."
Friday's assault followed a day and a half of exceptional joy in Afghanistan, when people of all backgrounds were celebrating their nation's first international soccer championship win. Footage broadcast on Afghanistan's Tolo television network showed Afghan police dragging away a badly bloodied man from the scene, but it was unclear if he was dead or who he was. Rubble and twisted pieces of metal lay strewn in a seemingly wide area near the consulate, the footage showed.
Herat lies near Afghanistan's border with Iran and is considered one of the better developed and safer cities in the country, with a strong Iranian influence. Most of the violence in Afghanistan has been concentrated in the east and the south.
Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.
Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. Enter your email address to subscribe.Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. Enter your email address to subscribe.
Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox every weekday.Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox every weekday.