- Title: Taliban claim deadly attack on German consulate in Afghan city
- Date: 11th November 2016
- Summary: MAZAR-I SHARIF, AFGHANISTAN (NOVEMBER 11, 2016) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) GERMAN MILITARY VEHICLE OUTSIDE THE GERMAN CONSULATE AFTER BOMB ATTACK VARIOUS OF DAMAGE MUNICIPALITY WORKERS CLEANING THE SMASHED GLASSES AND DEBRIS NEAR THE GERMAN CONSULATE MORE OF DAMAGE/AFGHAN SECURITY FORCES ON GUARD MORE OF MUNICIPALITY WORKERS CLEANING AFGHAN SECURITY FORCES DETAINING A SUSPICIOUS MAN NEAR THE CONSULATE DETAINED MAN BEING ESCORTED BY AFGHAN SECURITY FORCES VARIOUS OF DAMAGE CAUSED BY TRUCK BOMB SMASHED WINDOWS VARIOUS OF DAMAGED BUILDINGS SECURITY ON TRUCK WORKERS CLEARING DAMAGE AFGHAN POLICE ON GUARD
- Embargoed: 26th November 2016 06:17
- Keywords: Mazar-i-Sharif Taliban German Consulate bomb
- Location: MAZAR-I-SHARIF, AFGHANISTAN
- City: MAZAR-I-SHARIF, AFGHANISTAN
- Country: Afghanistan
- Topics: Bombing (non-military),Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA0015801QH3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS NOTE, THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3
A Taliban suicide bomber rammed a car packed with explosives into a wall around the German consulate in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif late on Thursday (November 10) killing at least four civilians and wounding scores, officials said.
A NATO spokesman said the explosion had caused "massive damage" to the building, where around 30 people normally worked. Heavily armed attackers followed up the blast, battling with Afghan and German security forces late into the night.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was in retaliation for NATO air strikes against a village near the northern city of Kunduz last week in which more than 30 people were killed.
The attack highlighted the security problems spreading across Afghanistan in recent months, with heavy fighting in areas from the volatile southern province of Helmand to Kunduz in the far north.
Germany, which heads the NATO-led Resolute Support mission in northern Afghanistan, has about 850 soldiers at a base on the outskirts of Mazar-i-Sharif, with another 1,000 troops coming from 20 partner countries.
A foreign ministry spokesman in Berlin said the attack was suppressed in the early hours of Friday (November 11) by Afghan and German security personnel, as well as NATO special forces.
The heavily protected consulate is located in a large building close to the Blue Mosque in the centre of Mazar-i-Sharif, where the Indian consulate was also attacked by militant gunmen earlier this year. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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