After Mazar-e-Sharif, blast near Indian consulate in Jalalabad

Barely hours after terrorists targeting the Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif were gunned down, an explosion erupted in Jalalabad near the Indian consulate on January 5, signaling the renewed onslaught on India’s interests and assets in Afghanistan.   The explosion occurred in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad close to foreign consulate buildings including those of India, Pakistan and Iran, on January 5, Attaullah Khugyani, a spokesperson for the provincial governor said. Stating that there was no loss of life, Khugyani said there were no reports of casualties from the blast. The blast followed an attack on the Indian consulate in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif on January 3. It’s not clear whether the Indian consulate was targeted, but given the history of repeated attacks on Indian diplomatic offices in Afghanistan over the last few years, it’s a wake-up call for India to redouble efforts to protect its vital interests in the violence-beset country.   The special forces in Afghanistan had earlier ended the standoff with gunmen holed up near the Indian consulate in the country’s north. All the attackers were killed after a 24-hour gunbattle. Besides its embassy in Kabul, India has four consulates in Afghanistan, including Herat, Kandhar, Jalalabad and Mazar-e-Sharif.