The car exploded at the gate of the consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif city, destroying the gate and wall around 11.10 p.m. Thursday, said Abdul Raziq Qaderi, head of security for Balkh province.
“Police have surrounded the area and our forces are inside the compound,” he said. Mazar-i-Sharif is the capital of Balkh province and one of the most important cities in the country.
The Taliban issued a statement saying they had sent suicide attackers to the consulate.
Many houses and shops were destroyed or damaged, said Munir Ahmad Farhad, spokesman for the provincial governor in Balkh. “The security situation is under control right now, but locals are in fears of last night attack, there are many women and children among those who wounded,” Farhad said
The German Foreign Ministry said in a statement there was an “armed attack” on the consulate but didn’t specify the nature of the attack or mention any casualties.
(Sourced from agencies, feature image courtesy:newsdog.today)
