India News: Bomb blast in Afghanistan

India News: An explosion has hit close to the Indian consulate in Jalalabad, reports say. Reuters news agency said that the blast on Friday was caused by a suicide bomber, and gunfire followed the initial attack. Reports said at least eight children were killed and several were injured. A source at the Indian Foreign Ministry told Al Jazeera that all Indian officials were safe. "Explosion in front of India's Consulate in Jalalabad. All Indians officials safe," Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said on Twitter. Gunfire resounded through the area for at least an hour following the blast, which struck at around 10am local time, near the consulate entrance. The attack followed a world-wide travel alert issued by the US on Friday, saying that al-Qaeda could be planning attacks in August, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. The US has ordered the closure of 21 embassies and consulates on Sunday, including its Kabul mission. Nangarhar police chief Mohammad Sharif Amin told Reuters that a bomber detonated a car packed with explosives outside the consulate and an adjacent mosque. The consulate was the intended target, he said, but most casualties were from the mosque. Roads near the Indian consulate remained blocked as gunfire rattled through the area, deputy provincial police chief Masoom Khan Hashimi said.<br /><br />For More information on this news visit: http://www.itvnewsindia.com/<br />Connect with us on Social platform at: http://www.facebook.com/IndiaNewsTV<br />Subscribe to our You Tube channel: http://www.youtube.com/itvnewsindia