With increased threat to Indian assets in Afghanistan causing concern, New Delhi and Kabul favoured targeting the bases of terrorist outfits and their financial links to root out the menace from the region.
Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, who is in Kabul on a two-day visit to review security of the Indian missions and workers in the wake of the suicide attack on New Delhi's embassy, held talks with President Hamid Karzai.
During the 30-minute meeting, the two sides discussed the issue of security in the wake of the Monday suicide attack, which they felt was the handiwork of ''enemies'' of relations between the two countries.
Menon, who also met Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta, was assured that the Afghan government would do everything possible to protect Indian assets in this country.
The two sides agreed that ''terrorism is a threat to both the countries as well as stability and democracy of the region,'' Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Sultan Ahmad Baheen told a news agency.
Karzai and Menon were of the view that it is ''not enough to fight the symptom of terrorism'' that is visible in Afghanistan but the menace should be ''rooted out from the region by targeting bases, recruitment places and financial links,'' Baheen said.
Among the 58 dead in the Indian embassy attack, four were Indians, including a Brigadier-rank Defence Attache and a senior IFS officer
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Afghanistan: Nine US troops killed as Taliban attack remote base close to Pakistan border
The Nato-led effort to subdue the Taliban suffered one of its heaviest blows since the 2001 invasion yesterday when nine US soldiers were killed and 15 other Nato troops injured in a day-long battle in a region close to the Pakistan border.
The US troops died as their base came under attack in Kunar province, eastern Afghanistan. The news puts further pressure on Pakistan, where coalition forces believe many Taliban militants are based. It was among the biggest losses for the coalition since the start of the war.
The fighting was set off after a multi-pronged militant assault on a small, remote US base. Militants fired machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars from homes and a mosque in the village of Wanat, in Kunar, a mountainous region that borders Pakistan, Nato's International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said.
The attack began at 4.30am and lasted throughout the day, claiming the lives of nine Americans and dozens of Taliban.
It was the deadliest incident for US troops in Afghanistan since June 2005, when 16 troops were killed when their helicopter was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade.
A spokesman for Isaf in Kabul said last night: "We defended this base. There are still some operations on-going. The insurgents were repulsed and there is no fighting now but they might pop up again." There were "heavy casualties" among the Taliban, according to the coalition.
With 28 soldiers killed, June was the deadliest month for coalition forces since 2001. July is looking to be costly in military and civilian terms. Earlier this month, the bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul killed 41. The Afghan authorities accused Pakistan's ISI intelligence agency of orchestrating the bombing.
Earlier yesterday, a suicide bomber on a motorcycle killed 24 people, many of them children, in the southern province of Uruzgan. A gun battle in Helmand province, also in the south, killed more than 40 militants, the coalition said. Another attack in Helmand left an Isaf soldier dead - the nationality was not disclosed.
Elsewhere, Taliban militants killed two women in central Afghanistan after accusing them of working as prostitutes on a US base. The women, dressed in burkas, were shot and killed on Saturday just outside Ghazni city in central Afghanistan.
Taliban suicide bombs have killed more than 230 civilians and wounded nearly 500 this year. There are signs that Washington is losing patience with Pakistan for not stopping the use of its tribal area as a safe haven for Taliban and al-Qaida.
Worse, parts of Pakistan's security apparatus are suspected of secretly supporting the Taliban. There are fears in Pakistan that the US could attack militants based on Pakistan's side of the border, concern that will be heightened by the scale of the US casualties yesterday.
On Saturday, the head of the US military, Admiral Mike Mullen, made a surprise visit to Islamabad with a blunt message: cooperate in the "war on terror" or face unilateral US intervention.
Britain has already signalled that Afghanistan has become a higher priority than Iraq, as it draws down troops from Basra and steps up its involvement in Helmand. There were signs at the weekend that Washington may be considering a similar switch, as it emerged that George Bush is deliberating faster troop withdrawals from Iraq during his final months in the White House. The New York Times reported yesterday that as many as three of the 15 combat brigades in Iraq could be withdrawn by the time he leaves office.
The US troops died as their base came under attack in Kunar province, eastern Afghanistan. The news puts further pressure on Pakistan, where coalition forces believe many Taliban militants are based. It was among the biggest losses for the coalition since the start of the war.
The fighting was set off after a multi-pronged militant assault on a small, remote US base. Militants fired machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars from homes and a mosque in the village of Wanat, in Kunar, a mountainous region that borders Pakistan, Nato's International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said.
The attack began at 4.30am and lasted throughout the day, claiming the lives of nine Americans and dozens of Taliban.
It was the deadliest incident for US troops in Afghanistan since June 2005, when 16 troops were killed when their helicopter was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade.
A spokesman for Isaf in Kabul said last night: "We defended this base. There are still some operations on-going. The insurgents were repulsed and there is no fighting now but they might pop up again." There were "heavy casualties" among the Taliban, according to the coalition.
With 28 soldiers killed, June was the deadliest month for coalition forces since 2001. July is looking to be costly in military and civilian terms. Earlier this month, the bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul killed 41. The Afghan authorities accused Pakistan's ISI intelligence agency of orchestrating the bombing.
Earlier yesterday, a suicide bomber on a motorcycle killed 24 people, many of them children, in the southern province of Uruzgan. A gun battle in Helmand province, also in the south, killed more than 40 militants, the coalition said. Another attack in Helmand left an Isaf soldier dead - the nationality was not disclosed.
Elsewhere, Taliban militants killed two women in central Afghanistan after accusing them of working as prostitutes on a US base. The women, dressed in burkas, were shot and killed on Saturday just outside Ghazni city in central Afghanistan.
Taliban suicide bombs have killed more than 230 civilians and wounded nearly 500 this year. There are signs that Washington is losing patience with Pakistan for not stopping the use of its tribal area as a safe haven for Taliban and al-Qaida.
Worse, parts of Pakistan's security apparatus are suspected of secretly supporting the Taliban. There are fears in Pakistan that the US could attack militants based on Pakistan's side of the border, concern that will be heightened by the scale of the US casualties yesterday.
On Saturday, the head of the US military, Admiral Mike Mullen, made a surprise visit to Islamabad with a blunt message: cooperate in the "war on terror" or face unilateral US intervention.
Britain has already signalled that Afghanistan has become a higher priority than Iraq, as it draws down troops from Basra and steps up its involvement in Helmand. There were signs at the weekend that Washington may be considering a similar switch, as it emerged that George Bush is deliberating faster troop withdrawals from Iraq during his final months in the White House. The New York Times reported yesterday that as many as three of the 15 combat brigades in Iraq could be withdrawn by the time he leaves office.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Iran fires more missiles in war games
Iran test-fired more weapons on Thursday as it continued war games, ignoring global concern over its launch of a broadside of missiles in the midst of efforts to end the nuclear crisis.
The weapons fired in the Gulf by the naval section of the Revolutionary Guards included shore-to-sea, surface-to-surface and sea-to-air missiles, state television said. No details were given on the names of the missiles.
It said the war games also included the firing of the Hoot (Whale) torpedo that Iran unveiled in April 2006 and which it says is a super-fast weapon capable of hitting enemy submarines.
Iran on Wednesday test-fired its Shahab-3 longer range missile, whose range includes Israel and US bases in the Gulf, and eight other more medium range missiles.
The move sparked major concern in Western governments which say they fear Iran's nuclear drive is aimed at making atomic weapons, a charge that Tehran vehemently denies.
In a separate night-time land exercise late on Wednesday, the military also fired "longer and medium range missiles" state television said. Pictures broadcast showed several missiles being fired into the night sky.
Images were also broadcast of the naval manoeuvres, showing divers fixing mines to a pier, missiles fired from shore-based mobile launchers to the sea and the Hoot speeding towards a target.
The United States and its regional ally Israel has never ruled out military action against Iranian atomic facilities, while Tehran has warned of a fierce response if it is attacked.
After a warning from an aide to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that Iran would "set fire" to Israel and US ships in the Gulf if it was attacked, US Secretary Condoleezza Rice warned that the United States would defend itself.
"We will defend American interests and the interests of our allies. We take very strongly our obligation to defend our allies and we intend to do that," she told reporters in Tbilisi.
There has been concern an attack against Iran could be imminent after it emerged that Israel had carried out manoeuvres in Greece that were effectively dry runs for a potential strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.
But US Defence Secretary Robert Gates played down the risks of conflict. "The reality is there is a lot of signalling going on, but everybody recognises what the consequences of any kind of a conflict would be," he said.
The chief of French energy giant Total Christophe de Margerie said it was too politically risky to invest in Iran at present, as Western governments lean on firms to cut their ties with the Islamic republic.
His remarks appear to spell the end of Total's involvement in a deal to exploit the phase 11 of Iran's giant South Pars gas field to produce liquefied natural gas (LNG) for export and to build a liquefaction plant.
"Today we would be taking too much political risk to invest in Iran because people will say: 'Total will do anything for money'," de Margerie told the Financial Times.
The news is likely to be a major blow for Iran, which is in dire need of foreign investment to develop its largely untapped gas reserves and realise its ambition of becoming a major gas exporter.
The war games come in the midst of increased diplomatic efforts to end the five-year standoff over the Iranian nuclear drive.
Iran has responded to an offer from world powers to end the crisis, and diplomats are analysing what is said to be a complex answer from Tehran.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana is expected to hold talks with top Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili on the latest proposals by the end of the month, Solana's spokeswoman said.
The offer proposes that Iran suspend uranium enrichment -- the key sticking point in the crisis and the process which the West fears could be used to make a nuclear weapon -- in exchange for technological incentives.
However, France says Iran does not say in its response that it is prepared to suspend uranium enrichment.
The weapons fired in the Gulf by the naval section of the Revolutionary Guards included shore-to-sea, surface-to-surface and sea-to-air missiles, state television said. No details were given on the names of the missiles.
It said the war games also included the firing of the Hoot (Whale) torpedo that Iran unveiled in April 2006 and which it says is a super-fast weapon capable of hitting enemy submarines.
Iran on Wednesday test-fired its Shahab-3 longer range missile, whose range includes Israel and US bases in the Gulf, and eight other more medium range missiles.
The move sparked major concern in Western governments which say they fear Iran's nuclear drive is aimed at making atomic weapons, a charge that Tehran vehemently denies.
In a separate night-time land exercise late on Wednesday, the military also fired "longer and medium range missiles" state television said. Pictures broadcast showed several missiles being fired into the night sky.
Images were also broadcast of the naval manoeuvres, showing divers fixing mines to a pier, missiles fired from shore-based mobile launchers to the sea and the Hoot speeding towards a target.
The United States and its regional ally Israel has never ruled out military action against Iranian atomic facilities, while Tehran has warned of a fierce response if it is attacked.
After a warning from an aide to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that Iran would "set fire" to Israel and US ships in the Gulf if it was attacked, US Secretary Condoleezza Rice warned that the United States would defend itself.
"We will defend American interests and the interests of our allies. We take very strongly our obligation to defend our allies and we intend to do that," she told reporters in Tbilisi.
There has been concern an attack against Iran could be imminent after it emerged that Israel had carried out manoeuvres in Greece that were effectively dry runs for a potential strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.
But US Defence Secretary Robert Gates played down the risks of conflict. "The reality is there is a lot of signalling going on, but everybody recognises what the consequences of any kind of a conflict would be," he said.
The chief of French energy giant Total Christophe de Margerie said it was too politically risky to invest in Iran at present, as Western governments lean on firms to cut their ties with the Islamic republic.
His remarks appear to spell the end of Total's involvement in a deal to exploit the phase 11 of Iran's giant South Pars gas field to produce liquefied natural gas (LNG) for export and to build a liquefaction plant.
"Today we would be taking too much political risk to invest in Iran because people will say: 'Total will do anything for money'," de Margerie told the Financial Times.
The news is likely to be a major blow for Iran, which is in dire need of foreign investment to develop its largely untapped gas reserves and realise its ambition of becoming a major gas exporter.
The war games come in the midst of increased diplomatic efforts to end the five-year standoff over the Iranian nuclear drive.
Iran has responded to an offer from world powers to end the crisis, and diplomats are analysing what is said to be a complex answer from Tehran.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana is expected to hold talks with top Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili on the latest proposals by the end of the month, Solana's spokeswoman said.
The offer proposes that Iran suspend uranium enrichment -- the key sticking point in the crisis and the process which the West fears could be used to make a nuclear weapon -- in exchange for technological incentives.
However, France says Iran does not say in its response that it is prepared to suspend uranium enrichment.
Govt unveils text of safeguards pact
The IAEA is believed to be working on convening a Board meeting to approve the agreement, which is the next step in operationalisation of the Indo-US nuclear deal
The Government on Thursday released the controversial text of the India-specific safeguards agreement that has reportedly been sent to the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) for its ratification.
The draft safeguards agreement was circulated to the UN nuclear watchdog's Board of Governors yesterday, according to reports. The draft was circulated following a request from the Indian Government, the IAEA said.
"At the request of the Government of India, the IAEA Secretariat today circulated to members of the IAEA Board of Governors for their consideration, the draft of an agreement for the application of safeguards to civilian nuclear facilities," IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said in Vienna yesterday.
The IAEA is believed to be working on convening a meeting of its Board to approve the India-centric safeguards agreement, which is the next step in the operationalisation of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.
Fleming said that the Board chairman will consult fellow IAEA members to fix a date to discuss the draft amid reports that a special governors meeting will be convened in Vienna on July 28 to discuss the safeguards text.
"The chairman of the IAEA Board is consulting with other members to agree on a date for a meeting when the agreement would be considered," she said.
Significantly, the move by the Indian Government comes in the wake of Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee's comments that the Centre will approach the IAEA only after seeking a trust vote in parliament.
Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Veerappa Moily said that the Government is ready to seek a trust vote in parliament before the IAEA Board meeting. He said that the UPA had not reneged on its promise by circulating the safeguards draft.
The BJP, the main opposition party, had criticised the Government for deceiving the people of the country by going to the IAEA Board with a draft safeguards agreement without obtaining an approval from the parliament
The Government on Thursday released the controversial text of the India-specific safeguards agreement that has reportedly been sent to the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) for its ratification.
The draft safeguards agreement was circulated to the UN nuclear watchdog's Board of Governors yesterday, according to reports. The draft was circulated following a request from the Indian Government, the IAEA said.
"At the request of the Government of India, the IAEA Secretariat today circulated to members of the IAEA Board of Governors for their consideration, the draft of an agreement for the application of safeguards to civilian nuclear facilities," IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said in Vienna yesterday.
The IAEA is believed to be working on convening a meeting of its Board to approve the India-centric safeguards agreement, which is the next step in the operationalisation of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.
Fleming said that the Board chairman will consult fellow IAEA members to fix a date to discuss the draft amid reports that a special governors meeting will be convened in Vienna on July 28 to discuss the safeguards text.
"The chairman of the IAEA Board is consulting with other members to agree on a date for a meeting when the agreement would be considered," she said.
Significantly, the move by the Indian Government comes in the wake of Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee's comments that the Centre will approach the IAEA only after seeking a trust vote in parliament.
Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Veerappa Moily said that the Government is ready to seek a trust vote in parliament before the IAEA Board meeting. He said that the UPA had not reneged on its promise by circulating the safeguards draft.
The BJP, the main opposition party, had criticised the Government for deceiving the people of the country by going to the IAEA Board with a draft safeguards agreement without obtaining an approval from the parliament
India rejects reports of attack on consulate in Afghanistan
India today rubbished as "mischievous campaign" reports of attack on its consulate in Jalalabad in Afghanistan.
"There is no truth in the reports of a terrorist bomb attack on Indian consulate in Jalalabad, Afghanistan," official sources said here.
A section of the Pakistani press had reported that suspected Taliban elements had attacked the Indian consulate in Jalalabad and killed six persons, including two Indians.
"There was no such attack and these reports are part of a mischievous campaign," the sources said.
All Indian missions in Afghanistan have been on high security alert in the wake of the suicide attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul on Monday that left 41 people dead.
Afghan authorities had hinted at possible involvement of a Pakistan-based terror outfit in the Kabul blasts.
The sources said that it was possible that these elements may be spreading news in the Pakistani media of an attack on Indian mission in Jalalabad. PTI
"There is no truth in the reports of a terrorist bomb attack on Indian consulate in Jalalabad, Afghanistan," official sources said here.
A section of the Pakistani press had reported that suspected Taliban elements had attacked the Indian consulate in Jalalabad and killed six persons, including two Indians.
"There was no such attack and these reports are part of a mischievous campaign," the sources said.
All Indian missions in Afghanistan have been on high security alert in the wake of the suicide attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul on Monday that left 41 people dead.
Afghan authorities had hinted at possible involvement of a Pakistan-based terror outfit in the Kabul blasts.
The sources said that it was possible that these elements may be spreading news in the Pakistani media of an attack on Indian mission in Jalalabad. PTI
Samsung Unveils YouTube-Optimized Camcorder
Samsung on Wednesday introduced a digital camcorder featuring a recording mode optimized for online video-sharing site YouTube.
The SC-MX20 compact camcorder, the successor to the SC-MX10, features a 680,000-pixel image sensor that delivers a maximum resolution of 720 x 480 pixels. The latest model also has a 34x optical zoom.
More Personal Tech InsightsWhite PapersThe Friday ITch: Season 2, Episode 1 Demo: MagicJack For the Web, the new device utilizes the H.264 standard for compression, which doubles the compression ratio so that it takes less time to send video files via email or upload them to sites. The feature also delivers longer recording times, since more video can be stored in the device's memory card.
In addition, the device gives the option of choosing a shooting mode with a resolution and format optimized for uploading content to YouTube or portable media players. The mode automatically adjusts the resolution to 640 x 480 pixels. The camcorder comes with video-editing software.
Other features include technology for noise reduction and for correcting blurring when video is taken with an unsteady hand. The device supports an 8, 16 or 32GB memory card, which amounts to four, eight and 16 hours, respectively, of recording time. The camcorder has a 2.7-inch LCD screen for viewing, and three hours of battery life.
The SC-MX20 will be available in August in four colors, black, red, white and blue, the company said. The estimated selling price is $280.
Overall U.S. retail sales of consumer electronics, such as LCD TVs, digital cameras, camcorders and portable media players, have been down so far this year. As of the end of May, retailers reported that sales were down 3% from the same period last year, according to The NPD Group. The numbers do not include online sales.
The SC-MX20 compact camcorder, the successor to the SC-MX10, features a 680,000-pixel image sensor that delivers a maximum resolution of 720 x 480 pixels. The latest model also has a 34x optical zoom.
More Personal Tech InsightsWhite PapersThe Friday ITch: Season 2, Episode 1 Demo: MagicJack For the Web, the new device utilizes the H.264 standard for compression, which doubles the compression ratio so that it takes less time to send video files via email or upload them to sites. The feature also delivers longer recording times, since more video can be stored in the device's memory card.
In addition, the device gives the option of choosing a shooting mode with a resolution and format optimized for uploading content to YouTube or portable media players. The mode automatically adjusts the resolution to 640 x 480 pixels. The camcorder comes with video-editing software.
Other features include technology for noise reduction and for correcting blurring when video is taken with an unsteady hand. The device supports an 8, 16 or 32GB memory card, which amounts to four, eight and 16 hours, respectively, of recording time. The camcorder has a 2.7-inch LCD screen for viewing, and three hours of battery life.
The SC-MX20 will be available in August in four colors, black, red, white and blue, the company said. The estimated selling price is $280.
Overall U.S. retail sales of consumer electronics, such as LCD TVs, digital cameras, camcorders and portable media players, have been down so far this year. As of the end of May, retailers reported that sales were down 3% from the same period last year, according to The NPD Group. The numbers do not include online sales.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
3 Police and 3 Gunmen Die in Attack on U.S. Post in Turkey
A group of unidentified gunmen opened fire on Turkish security guards outside the United States Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday, the Turkish authorities said, and at least three police officers and three assailants were killed.
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Times Topics: TurkeyThe late-morning attack was the first on a diplomatic mission in the city since 2003 when 62 people were killed in assaults on the British consulate, a bank and two synagogues. While the motives behind this attack were not immediately clear, Turkish officials described the gunmen as terrorists.
In a televised news conference, Governor Muammer Guler said one of the policemen died at the scene after a nearly 10-minute gun battle and two others died of bullet wounds in a hospital. One of the officers was part of the consulate security detail, while the other two were traffic police. A policeman and a tow-truck driver were also injured.
‘’Three policemen were martyred and three attackers were killed,” Mr. Guler said. Ross Wilson, the the United States ambassador in Turkey, said that none of the dead or injured were Americans.
After the attack, crowds of onlookers and police milled around the 15-foot high walls sheltering the American compound and police cordoned off the area. A helicopter was seen hovering above. Television footage showed one body lying on the ground..
The consulate is a heavily fortified building with heavy security measures. Witnesses and news reports said that about 15 minutes before the attack, the three gunmen were seen sitting in a gray car with another man — apparently the driver — that was parked in a carwash shop near the consulate. At about 10:30 a.m., the three, who looked to be between 25 and 30 years old, hopped out of the vehicle, walked up to a police post at the main entrance of the consulate, and opened fire, taking the officers by surprise.
“One of them approached a policeman while hiding his gun and shot him in the head,” a witness, Yazuz Erket Yuksel, said in remarks reported by Reuters.
In the ensuing clash, two of the officers fired back, killing all three attackers, according to news reports. The authorities said the three men used handguns and a “pump action shotgun,” and that the fourth man escaped by car.
One witness, Huseyin Tuzemen, was across the street from the consulate when the gunfire erupted.
“I was sitting at the cafe and there were suddenly some gunshots,” he said. I lied on the ground. I didn’t see where the shots came from. I found myself in the fridge because of fear.”
Istanbul’s chief prosecutor, Aykut Cengiz Engin, told reporters at a televised news conference that the authorities ‘’consider the incident a terrorist act.”
Turkey’s president, Abdullah Gul, condemned the attack in a statement to reporters. “I strongly denounce such terror attacks,” he said. “Turkey struggles and will continue to struggle against the mentalities that organize and stand behind these attacks until the very end. Everyone, after all, has seen that nothing can be achieved through terror.”
From the police post, visitors to the consulate usually clamber up steps to the hilltop building which some people say resembles a fortress.
The consulate was for many years located in the center of the city in a bustling area near Taksim Square. But it was relocated five years ago to the Istinye area near the Bosphorous Straits to be better protected from terrorist attacks.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which took place on a quiet side street lined with apartment houses.
In a statement, the consulate said: “At approximately 11 a.m. at least one assailant opened fire near the Turkish post at the main entrance of the consulate. We have no reports that any American consulate employees were injured in the attack.”
Several consular officers were absent from the building at the time of the attack, attending a meeting hosted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
In a separate development in remote eastern Turkey, three German tourists on a climbing expedition to Mount Ararat were kidnapped by Kurdish separatists who seized their hostages as they camped at an altitude of 10,500 feet, the semiofficial Anatolian News Agency reported Wednesday.
Susanne Fowler contributed reporting from Paris, and Anahad O’Connor contributed from New York.
Skip to next paragraph
Related
Times Topics: TurkeyThe late-morning attack was the first on a diplomatic mission in the city since 2003 when 62 people were killed in assaults on the British consulate, a bank and two synagogues. While the motives behind this attack were not immediately clear, Turkish officials described the gunmen as terrorists.
In a televised news conference, Governor Muammer Guler said one of the policemen died at the scene after a nearly 10-minute gun battle and two others died of bullet wounds in a hospital. One of the officers was part of the consulate security detail, while the other two were traffic police. A policeman and a tow-truck driver were also injured.
‘’Three policemen were martyred and three attackers were killed,” Mr. Guler said. Ross Wilson, the the United States ambassador in Turkey, said that none of the dead or injured were Americans.
After the attack, crowds of onlookers and police milled around the 15-foot high walls sheltering the American compound and police cordoned off the area. A helicopter was seen hovering above. Television footage showed one body lying on the ground..
The consulate is a heavily fortified building with heavy security measures. Witnesses and news reports said that about 15 minutes before the attack, the three gunmen were seen sitting in a gray car with another man — apparently the driver — that was parked in a carwash shop near the consulate. At about 10:30 a.m., the three, who looked to be between 25 and 30 years old, hopped out of the vehicle, walked up to a police post at the main entrance of the consulate, and opened fire, taking the officers by surprise.
“One of them approached a policeman while hiding his gun and shot him in the head,” a witness, Yazuz Erket Yuksel, said in remarks reported by Reuters.
In the ensuing clash, two of the officers fired back, killing all three attackers, according to news reports. The authorities said the three men used handguns and a “pump action shotgun,” and that the fourth man escaped by car.
One witness, Huseyin Tuzemen, was across the street from the consulate when the gunfire erupted.
“I was sitting at the cafe and there were suddenly some gunshots,” he said. I lied on the ground. I didn’t see where the shots came from. I found myself in the fridge because of fear.”
Istanbul’s chief prosecutor, Aykut Cengiz Engin, told reporters at a televised news conference that the authorities ‘’consider the incident a terrorist act.”
Turkey’s president, Abdullah Gul, condemned the attack in a statement to reporters. “I strongly denounce such terror attacks,” he said. “Turkey struggles and will continue to struggle against the mentalities that organize and stand behind these attacks until the very end. Everyone, after all, has seen that nothing can be achieved through terror.”
From the police post, visitors to the consulate usually clamber up steps to the hilltop building which some people say resembles a fortress.
The consulate was for many years located in the center of the city in a bustling area near Taksim Square. But it was relocated five years ago to the Istinye area near the Bosphorous Straits to be better protected from terrorist attacks.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which took place on a quiet side street lined with apartment houses.
In a statement, the consulate said: “At approximately 11 a.m. at least one assailant opened fire near the Turkish post at the main entrance of the consulate. We have no reports that any American consulate employees were injured in the attack.”
Several consular officers were absent from the building at the time of the attack, attending a meeting hosted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
In a separate development in remote eastern Turkey, three German tourists on a climbing expedition to Mount Ararat were kidnapped by Kurdish separatists who seized their hostages as they camped at an altitude of 10,500 feet, the semiofficial Anatolian News Agency reported Wednesday.
Susanne Fowler contributed reporting from Paris, and Anahad O’Connor contributed from New York.
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