Kabul: Rockets fired at a building that will house the US consulate in the western Afghan city of Herat damaged two floors but caused no casualties, an Afghan official said on Sunday.
The US embassy in Kabul confirmed an incident at the consulate site, but could not immediately provide any details.
"Three rockets were fired at the US consulate, two hit the third and fourth floors, another missed the compound completely," said Akramuddin Yawar, police chief for the country's western zone.
No one was injured, he said, adding the incident happened at 9.20 pm (0450 GMT) on Friday.
The building, formerly a five-star hotel, was acquired by the US government to be re-opened as a consulate once renovations are completed.
The United States is set to deploy another 30,000 troops to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban-led insurgency, with NATO partners set to add 7,000 over the course of this year. Together the US and NATO already have 113,000 troops in the country.
A tandem "civilian surge" is also underway, as Washington brings in experts as part of a new war strategy shifting from battlefield focus to development and aid.
US government employees based in Afghanistan are set to triple in number over coming months to more than 1,000, officials say, with many to be based in provincial cities such as Herat as well as on military bases across the country.
Bureau Report
First Published: Saturday, January 09, 2010, 13:33