US consulate in Afghanistan attacked by Taliban

At least seven people have died and 17 others injured in an apparent Taliban attack targeting the United States consulate in Herat, Afghanistan.

Sayed Fazlullah Wahidi, the governor of Herat province, told the AP news agency that the attack began at about 6am local time (2am GMT) on Friday with a powerful car bomb explosion about 60m from the consulate compound, 

Loud explosions followed by gunfire were heard and a plume of thick smoke was seen rising over the city, in the west of Afghanistan.

Two policemen and a consulate security guard were reported killed and 17 others - including four women and two other police - were injured. Local sources told Al Jazeera there were five attackers, four of whom were killed by police or by detonating bombs. 

AP said the Taliban claimed it had carried out the assault. 

NATO's ISAF force later said on Twitter that it had secured the consulate and security forces had defeated the attackers, and the US said none of its staff was injured.

Herat, on the border with Iran, has been relatively peaceful since the removal of the Taliban by US-led forces in 2001. 

Italian soldiers took charge of the regional command of ISAF on September 10.