Indian consulate in Afghanistan attacked by car bomb

Explosions and gunfire echoed Wednesday as militants attacked the Indian consulate in Jalalabad in the latest assault to rattle the eastern Afghan city.

The detonation was caused by a car bomb, according to a local reporter.

The area was cordoned off, including the nearby Pakistani consulate. Police it was not clear whether there were any casualties or who was responsible.

"Our consulate has been targeted but everyone is safe," Indian foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup told AFP in New Delhi.

Witnesses said they saw several injured people after a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance to the consulate, followed by other explosions and gunfire.

Wednesday's attack came as US army general John Nicholson formally took command of NATO-led international forces in Afghanistan, replacing General John Campbell.

"There is still much work to be done. We now find ourselves at an inflection point in our campaign," Campbell told reporters in Kabul.

"(Afghan security forces) have come far but they still need our help. (Their) desire to improve and their resilience warrants our continued support in the critical years ahead."

Direct peace talks are expected to start this week in Islamabad between the Western-backed Afghan government and the Taliban, which has been waging a deadly insurgency for more than 14 years.