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Afghan Forces Kill Suicide Bombers Who Attacked Indian Consulate

Afghan Forces Kill Suicide Bombers Who Attacked Indian Consulate
Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers arrive at the site of an attack in front of the Indian consulate in Jalalabad on March 2, 2016. Explosions and gunfire echoed on March 2 as militants attacked the Indian consulate in Jalalabad in the latest assault to rattle the eastern Afghan city. AFP PHOTO / Noorullah SHIRZADA / AFP / Noorullah Shirzada (Photo credit should read NOORULLAH SHIRZADA/AFP/Getty Images)
NOORULLAH SHIRZADA via Getty Images
Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers arrive at the site of an attack in front of the Indian consulate in Jalalabad on March 2, 2016. Explosions and gunfire echoed on March 2 as militants attacked the Indian consulate in Jalalabad in the latest assault to rattle the eastern Afghan city. AFP PHOTO / Noorullah SHIRZADA / AFP / Noorullah Shirzada (Photo credit should read NOORULLAH SHIRZADA/AFP/Getty Images)

JALALABAD -- Afghan security forces on Wednesday killed a team of suicide bombers who targeted the Indian consulate in the eastern city of Jalalabad, following an attack in which at least six people were wounded, officials said.

The incident, coming just days after dozens of people were killed or wounded in suicide attacks in the capital, Kabul, and the eastern province of Kunar, casts doubt on efforts to revive a stalled peace process with the Taliban.

A bomb in a car driven by one of the attackers was detonated near the Indian consulate, shattering doors and windows and destroying at least eight cars as explosions and gunfire rocked the area, witnesses said.

Security forces in armoured vehicles were seen moving to the scene, while civilians fled.

But the four attackers were killed before being able to enter the consulate compound, said Attahullah Khugyani, a spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province.

"Their target was the Indian consulate, but our forces shot and killed them all before they reached their target," he said.

The head of the public health department in Nangarhar, Najibullah Kamawal, said at least six people had been wounded in the attack.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which followed a suicide attack on the nearby Pakistani consulate in January.

That attack was claimed by Islamic State, which has a growing presence in Nangarhar, the province of which Jalalabad is the capital.

In January, India's consulate in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif was also attacked by insurgents.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.