U.S. consulate in Peshawar attacked
Top news: Militants attacked the U.S. consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan this morning, killing at least three people. The attackers first detonated car bombs outside a checkpoint near the consulate. Gunmen then fired mortars at the facility attempting to break their way inside.
The militants were apparently unable to breach the consulate's security. The victims included a paramilitary soldier, a private security guard, and a civilian worker. Authorities also reportedly found explosive vests on the bodies of the militants who were killed. This is the first attack against a U.S. mission in Pakistan since 2006.
The attack came shortly after a bombing at a rally by a Pashtun nationalist party in Pakistan's Lower Dir region. That bombing killed at least 41 people. The rally was in support of a government proposal to change the name of Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province to Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa.
Iraq: Baghdad is still reeling from three suicide car bombings on Sunday, which killed at least 41 people and injured 237. The bombings targeted the Iranian, German, and Egyptian embassies. Iraqi authorities believe that al Qaeda in Iraq is responsible for the attack. Most of those killed were motorists and pedestrians near the buildings. No diplomats were thought to be wounded in the blasts.
The bombings followed an incident on Friday in which gunmen in Iraqi military uniforms stormed a Sunni village near Baghdad killing at least 25 people. Many of the victims were members of the group Sons of Iraq, who were critical in the effort to counter the violence of the Sunni insurgency.
The latest violence comes as the United States plans to draw down to 50,000 noncombat troops by the end of August.
The militants were apparently unable to breach the consulate's security. The victims included a paramilitary soldier, a private security guard, and a civilian worker. Authorities also reportedly found explosive vests on the bodies of the militants who were killed. This is the first attack against a U.S. mission in Pakistan since 2006.
The attack came shortly after a bombing at a rally by a Pashtun nationalist party in Pakistan's Lower Dir region. That bombing killed at least 41 people. The rally was in support of a government proposal to change the name of Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province to Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa.
Iraq: Baghdad is still reeling from three suicide car bombings on Sunday, which killed at least 41 people and injured 237. The bombings targeted the Iranian, German, and Egyptian embassies. Iraqi authorities believe that al Qaeda in Iraq is responsible for the attack. Most of those killed were motorists and pedestrians near the buildings. No diplomats were thought to be wounded in the blasts.
The bombings followed an incident on Friday in which gunmen in Iraqi military uniforms stormed a Sunni village near Baghdad killing at least 25 people. Many of the victims were members of the group Sons of Iraq, who were critical in the effort to counter the violence of the Sunni insurgency.
The latest violence comes as the United States plans to draw down to 50,000 noncombat troops by the end of August.
| Asia and Pacific
-By Joshua Keating |  |
A Majeed/AFP/Getty Images
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