At least seven people were killed today, after militants carried out an attack on the U.S. consulate in the north-western city of Peshawar in Pakistan. According to a report at news.bbc.co.uk, there were several explosions in the area near the consulate, and buildings reportedly collapsed.

A gun battle between the attackers and the police broke out, following the blasts. Pakistan’s main Taliban faction reportedly owned up to carrying out the attack. The raid came only hours after 43 people had died in a suicide attack about 50 miles north-east of Peshawar.

The bomber was said to have targeted a crowded rally, which was being held by a Pashtun nationalist party in Timergara, Lower Dir. There were no reported US casualties in the explosion, and its’ not exactly clear whether the US consulate building suffered any damage in the blast.

Ghulam Hussain – a Pakistani police officer – told AFP news agency “The target was certainly the American consulate but they didn’t succeed in getting there.” He then went on to say that one of the suicide bombers had blown himself up, close to the gate.

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