Militants Target a U.S. Consulate in Pakistan

By ISMAIL KHAN and SABRINA TAVERNISE
NYT

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Militants mounted an assault against the United States Consulate in this northern Pakistani city on Monday, using a powerful bomb and rocket launchers in a multi-pronged attack, said a senior Pakistani intelligence officer.

There were no casualties inside the consulate, the officer said, several guards outside were killed. Pakistani media reported that another eight were injured. A spokesman for the American Embassy in Islamabad, the capital, confirmed the attack.

Pakistani television networks showed footage of a giant cloud of dust and debris rising from the Saddar area where the consulate is located shortly after 1 p.m. Local media reported that there had been three blasts. Authorities cordoned off the area and gunfire was heard long after the explosions, which seemed to indicate a siege-like situation.

The blast was a chilling reminder of just how close the militants are still able get to their targets in Pakistan, where months of operations by the Pakistani military in Taliban-controlled northern areas have dramatically reduced violence.

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