Taliban Attack U.S. Consulate in Afghanistan

Taliban militants set off a suicide car bomb and then engaged in a gunfight outside the United States consulate building in Herat, Afghanistan early Friday morning at around 6 a.m. In addition to the deaths of the five attackers, at least two security officers were killed, according to reports from the Associated Press. The BBC offers a conflicting report that three people were killed in the attack: two policemen and a consul guard. All American personnel are reportedly safe and accounted for.

Footage broadcast on Afghanistan's Tolo television network showed Afghan police dragging away a badly bloodied person from the scene, but it was unclear if he was dead or who he was. Rubble and twisted pieces of metal lay strewn in a seemingly wide area near the consulate, the footage showed.

A spokesman for the Taliban has claimed responsibility for the event. The AP notes that similar attacks have been occurring with greater frequency in the northern and western region of the country, whereas in past years, the southern and eastern areas have typically been more violent.

Read more on The Atlantic Wire.