Gunfire was briefly heard close to the heavily guarded and fortified building in Peshawar, said police officer Aziz Khan.
Two of the blasts took place around 20 yards (meters) from the main entrance to the building, an Associated Press reporter close to the scene said. Huge plumes of smoke rose high into the air. TV footage of one of the blasts suggested it was a car bomb.
The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad confirmed the consulate was the target of the attack, but gave no more details. It was unclear if the consulate itself was damaged."
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From an e-mail:
"Three explosions, two rocket attacks and subsequent gunfire have been reported in the near vicinity of the U.S. consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, on April 5. The attack occurred early afternoon local time when the consulate would have been full of both American and local employees. The death toll is reported at 36 but is expected to rise.
There are no assessments yet of the damage that the consulate building has sustained, but reports indicate that the explosions led to the collapse of other, adjacent buildings. Pakistani soldiers are also reported to be engaging militants in gunfire, indicating that militants are actively engaged in an attack near the area - possibly with the intention of breaching the U.S. consulate.
Many U.S. diplomatic missions (including the one in Peshawar) have a number of built in security features, such as a perimeter wall, ample stand-off distance between the buildings and the wall, reinforced concrete structure and windows and marines stationed inside to ward off attacks. While militant activity in the tribal belt of northwest Pakistan has led to regular attacks against targets of the Pakistani state, today’s assault against the consulate is an extremely rare direct attack on a U.S. target."
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