4 killed in German consulate attack in Afghanistan

Kabul: Four people were killed and over 110 injured when a suicide bomber rammed a truck into the German consulate in the Afghanistan's Mazar-e-Sharif city, officials said on Friday.

The attack took place in front of the consulate at 11 p.m., on Thursday night, Balkh province Police Chief General Sayed Kamal Sadat told Tolo News.

He said the explosives-laden truck was detonated near the entrance to the consulate office which was followed by gunfire.

The injured were all residents, Sadat said.

The death toll is likely to rise as some injured remained in critical condition, health sources said.

The Taliban militant group claimed responsibility for the attack shortly after the blast.

Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in a statement that the attack was retaliation for recent airstrikes in Kunduz from the "invading countries" which caused civilian casualties.

On November 3, a series of air strikes were carried out by NATO-led forces on outskirts of provincial capital Kunduz city, following ground operations conducted by foreign and Afghan security forces there.

Germany has nearly 1,000 troops in Afghanistan, most of them in Balkh province, the BBC said.

A NATO spokesman said there was "massive damage" to the consulate. Nato troops were on site and preparing to evacuate its personnel.