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May 23, 2014 - An Afghanistan National Army (ANA) soldier fires his weapon at the site of a clash between insurgents and security forces over Indian Consulate in Herat, Afghanistan. Gunmen armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades attacked the Indian Consulate but no one on the diplomatic staff was injured, police said.AP

May 23, 2014 - Afghan soldier takes position at the site of a clash between insurgents and security forces at the Indian Consulate in Herat, Afghanistan.AP

KABUL, Afghanistan Gunmen armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades attacked an Indian Consulate in western Afghanistan on Friday, though its diplomatic staff escaped unharmed, police said.

At least three gunmen opened fire on the consulate from a nearby building in Herat, provincial police chief Abdul Sami Qatra said. Qatra said police and soldiers killed three assailants in a gunbattle that saw the building catch fire as authorities evacuated neighbors.

Syed Akbaruddin, a spokesman for India's Ministry of External Affairs, said a deployment of the paramilitary Indo-Tibetan Border Police at the consulate held off the assault until Afghan forces arrived. He said all the Indians at the consulate were safe.

"Our consulate and our diplomatic presence in Afghanistan have been under threat," Akbaruddin told TimesNow TV, without elaborating.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, a group called Ansar al-Tawhid that appears to be based in Afghanistan posted a video online May 17 that threatened India, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist websites.

Herat lies near Afghanistan's border with Iran and is considered one of the safer cities in the country. In September 2013, Taliban gunmen launched a similar assault on the U.S. Consulate in the city, killing at least four Afghans but failing to enter the compound or hurt any Americans.

Foreign embassies and consulates remain a favorite target of insurgents in Afghanistan, but many are protected by high walls and multiple gates, as well as security forces.

India has invested more than $2 billion in Afghan projects, including roads and power projects. Afghan President Hamid Karzai spoke to India's Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi after the assault and called it "an attack on Afghanistan, India and our shared interests," according to a statement.

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Gunmen open fire on Indian Consulate in Afghanistan, 3 dead