Explosions, Attacks Reported At Indian Consulate In Afghanistan

Explosions and gunfire were reported Sunday outside the Indian Consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan, Agence France-Press reported. "We are being attacked. Fighting is going on," an official told AFP via telephone. It remains unclear how many militants were involved in the attack.

A spokesman for the local governor said the attackers had holed up in a house near the consulate and waited for darkness to strike, Reuters reported. "Right now our security forces are fighting them," he said. Indian authorities did not report any casualties, AFP reported.

The attack comes just days after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi toured Afghanistan to speak out against terrorism. During the visit Modi thanked Afghan forces for maintaining security at India's four consulates in Afghanistan, including the one in Mazar-i-Sharif.

The weekend also saw fighting break out at an airbase in northern India near the border with Pakistan, an incident that left at least 11 soldiers and attackers dead. Tensions have risen in the midst of Modi's diplomatic overtures to longtime enemy Pakistan, which included a surprise visit Dec. 25.

Indian targets have been particularly vulnerable to attacks in Afghanistan in recent years. A 2013 bombing at the consulate in Jalalabad left nine civilians dead, seven of whom were children.