Rockets fired at US consulate site in Afghan city

Three rockets were fired on Friday at a building leased as the site of a future U.S. consulate in the western Afghan city of Herat, police said. One rocket hit the former hotel, shattering windows, and two others landed nearby, said Rahmatullah Sediqi, the deputy provincial police chief in Herat. No one was hurt, but police later fired in the air to disperse crowds, he said. The U.S. government acquired the building in 2009 for a consulate in the city, one of at least two it plans to open outside the capital Kabul to boost its diplomatic presence. No diplomats have yet been stationed at the site but Washington plans to open the consulate this year after renovating the building.