Additional Afghan forces have been deployed around the Indian Consulate which was attacked yesterday in Jalalabad city of Afghanistan by heavily-armed terrorists including suicide bombers.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that senior officials of both National Directorate of Security (NDS) and Afghan National Police (ANP) visited the Consulate to reassure Consulate officials of their complete cooperation.
"Our Consulate in Jalalabad came under attack yesterday by a group of 5 terrorists at 12 noon. The attackers approached the Consulate in a van rigged with explosives...
"No member of the Consulate was injured except superficial injuries in right hand of one of the local staff members. Three persons reportedly died in the attack. National Directorate of Security (NDS) reported that 19 persons were injured, mostly Afghan National Police (ANP) guards, two of whom have serious injuries," Swarup said.
He also said additional forces, both from ANP and NDS, have been deployed around the Consulate. Electricity lines that were knocked out due to an explosion were repaired and power was restored on priority, he added.
Once the encounter was over, ANP chief of Nangarhar General Fazal Ahmad Sherzad, NDS Chief General Dad Mohammad Harifi, Governor Salim Khan Kundozi and ANCOP Chief Colonel Mohammad Naseem visited the Consulate to reassure Consulate officials of their complete cooperation, he added.
Yesterday's attack was fourth in a series of terror strikes on Indian Consulate in Jalalabad in the last nine years. It was attacked twice with hand grenades in 2007 and in 2013 and then by three suicide bombers. In 2015, an attack on it was thwarted by the Afghan security forces.
Two months ago, heavily-armed terrorists had carried out an attack on Indian mission in Mazar-e-Sharif which lasted for over 25 hours with all the attackers who attempted to storm the building getting killed by the Afghan forces.
Soon after that in January, Islamic State jihadists claimed responsibility for a deadly gun and bomb siege targeting the nearby Pakistani consulate in Jalalabad.
