8 die as Indian Consulate in Jalalabad attacked

A policeman and two civilians were killed when militants targeted the Indian consulate in Afghanistan’s Jalalabad city on Wednesday, triggering a fierce gun battle that left all five attackers also dead, officials said. All Indian diplomats were safe. Nineteen other civilians were injured in the mayhem and admitted to a hospital, Afghan news reports said. Officials said all diplomats and staff at the Indian consulate were safe. Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province, is often targeted by Taliban militants. The consulate was attacked earlier in 2013 too by the Taliban. But no one claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack which involved a team of militants armed with weapons and explosives. The dramatic attack began around noon when a suicide bomber came up to the front gate of the consulate and suddenly detonated his explosives-laden vest, stunning the guards and civilians there.