Taliban claims suicide assault on German consulate

[Valin]

Long War Journal:

Bill Roggio

November 11, 2016

 

A Taliban suicide assault team killed six civilians and wounded more than 100 in an attack on the German consulate in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif last night.

 

A Taliban suicide bomber rammed a truck packed with explosives into the outer wall of the consulate compound and detonated, creating a breach for the armed assault team to enter the compound. The German Foreign Office confirmed that there was “fighting outside” and “on the premises of the German Consulate.”

 

German security personnel, Afghan security forces, and special forces from NATO’s Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan battled the Taliban on the consulate grounds for at least an hour before defeating the Taliban attack. Resolute support reported “all 21 staff members of the German Consulate were safely evacuated to Camp Marmal.” However, Afghan civilians were killed and wounded as a result of the massive explosion that destroyed the outer wall of the consulate.

 

The Taliban claimed credit for the attack on its official website, Voice of Jihad, and said it was carried out to avenge the deaths of civilians in an airstrike in Kunduz province last week.

 

(Snip)