A suicide bomber drove a car packed with explosives into an SUV belonging to the U.S. Consulate in the Pakistani province of Peshawar on Monday, the New York Times reports. The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad has denied reports of American deaths.
The embassy said in a statement that “two U.S. personnel and two Pakistani staff were injured in the attack,” differing from Pakistan’s previous claims that two Pakistanis were killed and 13 were injured. The attack on the armored U.S. vehicle occurred in the provincial capital of Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa.
Although no one claimed responsibly for the attack, officials pointed toward the Taliban as the likely aggressors. This was the most brazen attack against Americans in Pakistan in recent years, officials told the Times.
Shortly after leaving on consulate, the American vehicle was rammed by a vehicle carrying 200 pounds of explosives while it was passing the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees guest house. U.S. and Pakistani officials are now investigating the attack.
“We stand ready to work with Pakistani authorities on a full investigation so that the perpetrators can be brought to justice,” the embassy told the Times.
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