KUNDUZ, Afghanistan — Taliban insurgents struck at the German Consulate in the northern commercial hub of Mazar-i-Sharif late Thursday night, killing at least two people and wounding at least 90, Afghan officials said.

Sayid Sarwar Hussaini, spokesman for the regional police zone in northern Afghanistan, said that there were two large explosions at the Mazar Hotel, which German diplomats have been using as their consulate in the city. A suicide car bomb apparently initiated the attack at the compound’s security wall, followed by gunfire and an explosion inside the hotel.

The provincial police force issued a statement saying that no German Consulate personnel had been hurt, and that the police had cleared the consulate of attackers. Mirwais Rabee, the head of the public health department in Balkh Province, which includes Mazar-i-Sharif, said that the casualties had been transferred to the regional hospital there.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, called the attack a reprisal for airstrikes in Kunduz this week.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan — Four people were killed and more than a dozen injured in an attack on the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan, NATO said Saturday.

The attack early Saturday occurred when “an explosive device was detonated at Bagram Air Field,” NATO said in a statement.

The Taliban claimed that one of their militants who worked at the base had blown himself up.

NATO, which leads the Resolute Support mission that trains and advises Afghan forces, did not reveal the nationalities of those killed or injured. It said response teams at the base were treating the wounded.

Taliban member Hafiz Mohammad Parwani had been working undercover on the base and had planned the attack over the past four months, the militant group said in a statement.

Parwani blew himself up when many soldiers were doing their morning exercises, according to the statement.

The governor of Bagram district said the blast could be heard by Afghans living outside the base, situated some 35 miles north of the capital, Kabul.

“To the family and friends of those who lost their lives today, we share your loss and our thoughts are with you,” Gen. John W. Nicholson, U.S. Army commander of Resolute Support, said in a statement.

“To those who target coalition forces, (Afghan forces) and Afghan civilians, Resolute Support and U.S. Forces Afghanistan will continue to pursue our train, advise, and assist mission to help our partners create a better Afghanistan,” Nicholson said.

Saturday’s attack came two days after the Taliban claimed responsibility for another suicide bombing that targeted the German Consulate in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif. Afghan officials said at least four civilians were killed and more than 120 others were injured in that attack.

Taliban insurgents, who are attempting to overthrow Afghanistan’s U.S.-backed government and expel foreign forces, have stepped up attacks in recent months and are threatening six of the country’s provincial capitals. The militants are said to control more territory now than at any time since 2001, when a U.S.-led invasion removed them from power.</s>ISLAMABAD — An attack on a German consulate building in northern Afghanistan late Thursday killed six people and wounded more than 100, mostly civilians, though Germany’s foreign minister on Friday reported consulate staff members were unharmed.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed his condolences for victims of the attack, in which a suicide truck bomber rammed the compound in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif.

Taliban militants heavily damaged the consulate after fighting their way into the building during an intense gun battle that lasted for hours after the initial blast outside the German compound about 11 p.m. local time. The truck bomb explosion blew apart a protective barrier around the consulate, shaking buildings and breaking windows over a wide area.

A spokesman for the Islamist insurgency in Afghanistan said several heavily armed Taliban suicide bombers stormed the German consulate moments after the initial explosion. With a direct route to the consulate buildings cleared by the first blast, a local police official said another suicide attacker “rammed his explosives-filled car” into the front wall of the main building.

NATO troops and Afghan security forces said they were securing the building and preparing to evacuate consulate staff. The operation apparently was prolonged by concerns that more explosives may have been planted by the attackers.

Afghan authorities said they sealed off the area around the German diplomatic compound, a former hotel. Reports from the scene said NATO helicopters were monitoring the fighting from above.

The Taliban said their assault was a “revenge attack” to retaliate for an airstrike earlier this month in neighboring Kunduz province. The insurgents said a bombing run by U.S. warplanes killed 32 civilians, including a number of children.

The airstrikes have triggered impassioned demonstrations in nearby Kunduz city, with victims’ relatives displaying mutilated bodies of dead children in a parade of trucks through the streets.

U.S. authorities are investigating the circumstances of the airstrike, but they have said it “very likely” was carried out by American warplanes. The air raid came after a Taliban assault that killed two American soldiers and three members of Afghan special forces.

The German government convened a crisis meeting before dawn in Berlin to gather information about the consulate attack. Germany has 983 soldiers serving with NATO forces in Afghanistan, most of them in Balkh province, whose capital is Mazar-i-Sharif.
• 2 key commanders of Taliban among 52 killed in W. Afghanistan</s>Taliban suicide bombers attacked the German consulate in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan overnight, killing six people and wounding more than 120.

The German foreign minister said Friday that all consulate staff were safe and accounted for.

The militants stormed the diplomatic facility after using a powerful car bomb to ram into the compound.

The bomb-and-gun attack in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif left at least six civilians dead and wounded around 130 others, mostly civilians, according to hospital officials.

Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed his condolences to the victims. An official statement quoted him as saying that “all German and Afghan employees of the consulate remained unharmed.”

A group of heavily armed Taliban suicide bombers staged the coordinated attack shortly before midnight on Thursday, detonating an explosives-packed vehicle in the vicinity of German Consulate.

The massive blast blew apart a protective barrier around the consulate, shaking buildings and damaging more than 100 homes and shops around the diplomatic mission, said the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) while condemning the violence.

It added that most of the injured suffered minor wounds from broken glass while those with serious injuries remain hospitalized.

“Attacks deliberately targeting the civilian population and violence aimed at spreading terror among civilians may amount to war crimes under customary international humanitarian law,” said UNAMA.

Taliban assailants fought their way into the building during an intense gun battle that lasted for hours before Afghan and NATO troops ended the siege and secured the building and evacuated consulate staff.

A spokesman for the Islamist insurgency in Afghanistan instantly claimed responsibility.

The Taliban said their assault was a “revenge attack” to retaliate for an airstrike earlier this month in neighboring Kunduz province. The insurgents said a bombing run by U.S. warplanes killed 32 civilians, including a number of children.

The airstrikes have triggered impassioned demonstrations in nearby Kunduz city, with victims’ relatives displaying mutilated bodies of dead children in a parade of trucks through the streets.

U.S. authorities are investigating the circumstances of the airstrike, but they have said it “very likely” was carried out by American warplanes. The air raid came after a Taliban assault that killed two American soldiers and three members of Afghan special forces.

Germany has 983 soldiers serving with NATO’s Resolute Support military mission in Afghanistan, most of them stationed in Balkh province, of which Mazar-i-Sharif is the capital.

The foreign coalition in a statement said it rapidly deployed its quick reaction force and assisted in efforts to safely evacuate all 21 staff members of the German consulate.

“This attack by the Taliban once again shows that they use violence indiscriminately and without regard for the safety of civilians,” said Lieutenant General Sandy Storrie, Deputy Commander of the NATO mission.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan — A suicide attack on the German consulate in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif has killed at least four civilians and wounded more than 120 others, Afghan officials said Friday.

“The attacker drove a vehicle full of explosives” into a gate at the consulate, said Abdul Razaq Qaderi, a police official in northern Balkh province, where Mazar-e-Sharif is situated. “It shattered windows 3 miles from the scene.”

The explosion, which occurred about 11:00 p.m. on Thursday, destroyed parts of the consulate, and nearby homes and shops, Qaderi said.

Germany's Foreign Ministry said all consulate employees were safe and unhurt after Thursday’s attack, which Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called a "crime against humanity and all international laws."

The provincial hospital received four dead bodies and 85 wounded people after the explosion, said Dr. Noor Mohammad Faiz, the hospital head. Thirty other wounded people, all civilians, were taken to a private hospital, he said.

Women and children were among the wounded, Faiz said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

"This attack was carried out as a revenge for the bombardment by foreign forces that killed civilians," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement on the group’s website.

Mujahid was referring to a joint mission by Afghan and NATO forces earlier this month near the northern city of Kunduz that Afghan officials said had targeted Taliban commanders who were preparing a major offensive on the city.

U.S. airstrikes were used during the operation, which Afghan officials said killed about 30 civilians. U.S. officials said shortly afterward that it was “very likely” the operation caused civilian casualties and that an investigation was underway.

Germany leads NATO’s diplomatic mission in northern Afghanistan and has nearly 1,000 troops in the country.

NATO’s Resolute Support mission said it had deployed its quick-reaction force to assist German troops at the consulate and help evacuate all 21 staff members to nearby Camp Marmal.

“This attack by the Taliban once again shows that they use violence indiscriminately and without regard for the safety of civilians,” said Lt. Gen. Sandy Storrie, Resolute Support's deputy commander. “We condemn this attack and pledge that we will continue our mission to help the Afghan government and the Afghan people achieve peace, security and stability.”</s>Monir Ahmad Farhad, a provincial spokesman, said Friday four people were killed and more 100 people were injured when the attack happened at 10:45 p.m. in Mazar-e-Sharif, the provincial capital. No German diplomats were hurt.

Local police chief Abdul Razaq Qaderi described the explosion as "very powerful" and said three police officers were injured.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in an email to the media.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the target was the consulate and he referred to Germany as "the invader."

Mazar-e-Sharif is one of the most peaceful cities in Afghanistan. It is also one of northern Afghanistan's most populated and developed cities. While the Taliban are active around Mazar-e-Sharif, the city is not a Taliban stronghold. The attack comes seven days after a a joint Afghan-US battle against the Taliban in the northern district of Kunduz that killed 30 civilians as well as two US soldiers and 26 militants. "I deeply regret the loss of innocent lives, regardless of the circumstances," Gen. John W. Nicholson, commander of US forces in Afghanistan, said in a statement Saturday. The troops came under fire during what the US military said was a mission to train, advise and assist its Afghan partners in clearing a Taliban position and disrupting the organization's operations in Kunduz district. Those deaths happened the same day Taliban mortars killed at least seven people at a wedding party in Faryab province in northern Afghanistan, police spokesman Kareem Youresh said. At least 13 people were wounded. Did U.S. know airstrike target was a hospital? Did U.S. know airstrike target was a hospital? Kunduz has been the site of a number of anti-Taliban operations. In April, the Pentagon announced that 16 military personnel would be disciplined over a fatal US strike on a Kunduz hospital in October 2015. But the military said the strike was not a war crime because it resulted from unintentional human error and equipment failure.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan — Germany's consulate in northern Afghanistan was attacked late Thursday when a suicide car bomber rammed the compound, a senior police official said.

The car exploded at the gate of the consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif city, destroying the gate and wall around 11.10 p.m. local time, said Abdul Raziq Qaderi, head of security for Balkh province. He said three police were wounded.

"Police have surrounded the area and our forces are inside the compound," he said.

The Taliban issued a statement saying they had sent suicide attackers to the consulate.

Sher Jan Durrani, spokesman for the police chief of Balkh province, said early Friday that a gun battle was going on at the consulate.

The German Foreign Ministry said in a statement there was an "armed attack" on the consulate but didn't specify the nature of the attack or mention any casualties.

The statement said there had been fighting outside and on the grounds of the consulate and that Afghan security forces and troops from the international Resolute Support mission were at the scene.

Mazar-i-Sharif is the capital of Balkh province and one of the most important cities in the country. Residents in the city reported hearing a huge explosion near the consulate that shattered windows in buildings nearby.

Germany has 983 soldiers stationed in Afghanistan, most of them in Balkh, as part of NATO's Resolute Support mission.

The Taliban's insurgency has spread from their southern heartland across the country in the past two years.

The Taliban statement from spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the attack was retaliation for recent airstrikes in the northern city of Kunduz, capital of the province of the same name.

A U.S. airstrike earlier this month killed dozens of people, including women and children, and is under investigation.</s>KABUL — Germany's consulate in northern Afghanistan was attacked when a suicide car bomber rammed the compound, killing four people and wounding more than 100, police and a doctor said Friday.

Four dead, two civilians and two unidentified bodies, were brought to the Balkh hospital and around 115 people were wounded, said Dr. Noor Mohammad Faiz.

"The blast was too loud and powerful, which shattered windows, and many civilians were wounded inside their homes," he said.

The car exploded at the gate of the consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif city, destroying the gate and wall around 11.10 p.m. Thursday, said Abdul Raziq Qaderi, head of security for Balkh province.

"Police have surrounded the area and our forces are inside the compound," he said. Mazar-i-Sharif is the capital of Balkh province and one of the most important cities in the country.

The Taliban issued a statement saying they had sent suicide attackers to the consulate.

Many houses and shops were destroyed or damaged, said Munir Ahmad Farhad, spokesman for the provincial governor in Balkh. "The security situation is under control right now, but locals are in fears of last night attack, there are many women and children among those who wounded," Farhad said

The German Foreign Ministry said in a statement there was an "armed attack" on the consulate but didn't specify the nature of the attack or mention any casualties.

The statement said there had been fighting outside and on the grounds of the consulate and that Afghan security forces and troops from the international Resolute Support mission were at the scene.

Germany has 983 soldiers stationed in Afghanistan, most of them in Balkh, as part of NATO's Resolute Support mission.

The Taliban's insurgency has spread from their southern heartland across the country in the past two years.

The Taliban statement from spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the attack was retaliation for recent airstrikes in the northern city of Kunduz, capital of the province of the same name.

A U.S. airstrike earlier this month killed dozens of people, including women and children, and is under investigation.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan -- Germany's consulate in northern Afghanistan was attacked when a suicide car bomber rammed the compound, killing six people and wounding more than 120, Afghan police and the German foreign minister said Friday.

Four of the dead -- two civilians and two unidentified bodies -- were taken to the Balkh hospital, said Dr. Noor Mohammad Faiz. He said 128 people were wounded in the attack.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said six people had been confirmed dead. He added in a statement that "all German and Afghan employees of the consulate remained unharmed."

The car exploded at the gate of the consulate in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, destroying the gate and wall around 11:10 p.m. Thursday, said Abdul Raziq Qaderi, head of security for Balkh province.

The blast destroyed the Mazar Hotel, where the consulate is based, and surrounding buildings. Residents said casualties were contained because of the late hour, though an ensuing gunbattle raged for about five hours.

Steinmeier said fighting took place "on the premises and inside the consulate."

The attack was carried out "by heavily armed terrorists," he said, adding: "The attackers were fought off by the consulate's security personnel, Afghan security forces, and German, Georgian, Belgian and Latvian special forces stationed in the city as part of the Resolute Support mission."

President Ashraf Ghani called the attack a "crime against humanity and all international laws."

The United Nations' assistance mission in Afghanistan also condemned the attack. In a statement, it said the injured include 19 women and 38 children.

"Most of the injured suffered minor wounds from broken glass while those with serious injuries remain hospitalized," it said. More than 100 homes and shops were damaged, it said.

Germany has 983 soldiers stationed in Afghanistan, most of them in Balkh province, as part of the NATO mission. Mazar-i-Sharif is the provincial capital and one of the richest and most important cities in Afghanistan.

The Taliban's insurgency has spread from their southern heartland across the country in the past two years, after the withdrawal of most international combat troops. Attacks across the north have been increasing.

The Taliban statement from spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the attack was retaliation for recent airstrikes in the northern city of Kunduz, capital of the province of the same name.

A U.S. airstrike early this month killed dozens of people and is under investigation.

Information for this article was contributed by Lynne O'Donnell, Karim Sharifi and Geir Moulson of The Associated Press.</s>A suicide bomber has rammed a truck into the German consulate in the Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif, killing at least two people, officials say.

 Reports described a huge blast at the diplomatic mission followed by gunfire.

 A hospital official said more than 80 people were hurt in the attack, which happened around 23:00 (18:30 GMT).

 The Taliban says it carried out the attack in response to coalition air strikes earlier this month in Kunduz which killed civilians.

 Nato is investigating the incident in the northern city, which happened when Afghan troops surrounded by Taliban militants called in air support.

 Thirty civilians died in the fighting, many of them in the air strikes, local officials said.

 The German diplomatic mission is in a walled compound in the centre of Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province.

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

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

 At least one car packed with explosives was rammed into the wall surrounding the compound, the spokesman said. Officials were also investigating whether a second car bomb was involved.

 Reports on social media said helicopters were flying over the compound and ambulances rushing through the city.

 The attack comes amid a worsening security situation in Afghanistan. Taliban militants came close to over-running Kunduz in October before being driven back, according to BBC News.

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At least two people have been killed and 90 injured in an attack on the German consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif. The Taliban has claimed responsibility.