A former Mujahideen, Governor of Afghanistan's Balkh province, Ata Mohammad Noor wielded a gun to protect the Indian consulate at Mazar-i-Sharif after it was attacked on Sunday by heavily-armed militants who tried to storm in.
In pictures that have gone viral, Noor is seen holding an assault rifle and aiming to take shots and also interacting with the soldiers outside the Indian consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of his province,
Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan Amar Sinha tweeted "Clearing ops (operations) in Mazar on by special forces".
Having a well deserved 'chai' with Gov Atta Noor and his Sandhurst educated son pic.twitter.com/wtN2mM1FjU
— Amar Sinha (@SenseandC_sense) January 4, 2016
#Afghanistan: Atta Mohammad Noor declares end of siege near India's consulate after all four attackers killed.
— Frud Bezhan (@FrudBezhan) January 4, 2016
Heavy fighting going on. GOV (Governor) Atta personally monitoring. All safe in consulate."
He also retweeted a message by a journalist which said, "A friend in need ..Meet the Afg (Afghan) guv (governor) who took up arms to protect Indian consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif".
Noor is a former Mujahideen during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and is trained in combat. He has also served as a commander in Ahmad Shah Masood's Norther Alliance - the resistance against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
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