India asks Afghanistan to shift Mazar-i-Sharif consulate after terrorist attack

NEW DELHI: A day after the terrorist tried to storm into the Indian consulate at Mazar-i-Sharif in Afghanistan, government sources said that they have been pursuing their counterparts from Afghanistan to shift the consulate from the residential area to a more secured location. Officials familiar with the matter said the premises that came under the attack on Sunday night is located in densely populated area, proving a security nightmare for agencies.

After the Sunday’s attack, the Indo Tibetan Border Police ( ITBP), responsible for the security at the consulate, has been asked to scale up the vigil and provide adequate security to diplomats.

Giving the details of Sunday operation, a senior government official said, “Soon after the two militants were injured in firing, they were dragged by two other accompanying them into a five storey building 100 metres across the consulate.”

The operation then led by Afghan Special Forces also saw dropping commandos atop the building where so far three bodies have been found. Officials claimed that four floors out of the five storey building has been sanitized. DG (ITBP) Krishna Chaudhary told ET, “Our role was to protect the campus and we have managed to secure the premises. It was a brave effort from the ITBP that averted a major mishap.”

According to ITBP, the militants started the attack at 9:15 pm on Sunday night where they fired 5-6 RPG shells followed by indiscriminate firings on jawans.

This is sixth attack on Indian assets in Afghanistan since 2007 and comes within weeks after the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It may be recalled that a highlevel team from New Delhi comprising of officials from Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), Intelligence Bureau (IB) and ITBP had visited Afghanistan in February last year to sensitize and beef up security.

Among the measures taken by them were to provide security to projects where Indians are engaged such as construction of Afghan Parliament and work at Salma Dam on the Hari river basin. The team had also reviewed the security cordon around Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan, Amar Sinha and other diplomats posted in the embassy.