UN chief condemns attack on Indian Consulate in Afghanistan

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the terror attack on the Indian Consulate in the Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif and underlined the need to protect diplomatic posts, his spokesperson said.

"On the attack on Mazar-e-Sharif, obviously, it is an attack we condemn. Especially in light of what we've said, an attack on a diplomatic outpost -- that needs to be protected," Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric told PTI when asked to comment on the terror attack on the Indian Consulate and the assault on the Pathankot Air Force base.

On the terror attack on the Pathankot air base, Dujarric said he did not have any comment as the operation there was ongoing.

"Yes, on the attack at the air base...The operation is still ongoing. I don't have anything in particular to say on that. I don't have enough details to speak to it," he said.

In response to a question on the attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran, Dujarric told reporters here yesterday that under the Vienna Convention, the responsibility to protect diplomatic missions and to protect diplomats lies with the countries where these diplomats work and where these missions work.

"We have seen in the past years, recently in various places, attacks on diplomatic missions, which the Secretary- General has spoken out against and which he did again this time. But it is clearly the responsibility of the host country to protect diplomatic premises and to protect the lives of diplomats," he said.

An intense 25-hour gun-battle between security forces and terrorists outside the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif came to end last night with the killing of all the attackers who attempted to storm the Mission building.

While three of the attackers were killed in the gunfight earlier, the remaining were neutralised by the night.

A group of terrorists had attacked the Consulate at around 9.15 PM (local time) on Sunday with an aim of storming the building but their plan was thwarted by the security forces.