Ban condemns terror attack on Indian Consulate in Afghanistan

United Nations, Jan 5: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon today condemned the terror attack on the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan and said that diplomatic posts need to be protected.

The attack on the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif "obviously is an attack which we condenm...especially an attack on a diplomatic outpost that needs to be protected," Ban's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told PTI here today when asked about the terror attack on the Consulate premises on Sunday.

When asked to comment about another terror attack at the Pathankot Air Force base, Dujarric said he did not have any comment as the operation there is still ongoing. An intense 25-hour gun-battle between security forces and terrorists outside the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif came to end tonight with the killing of all the attackers who attempted to storm the Mission building.

While three of the attackers were killed in the gunfight overnight, the remaining were neutralised by the night. A group of terrorists had attacked the Consulate at around 9.15 pm yesterday with an aim of storming the building but their plan was thwarted by the security forces.

PTI