Gunfights raged Monday as Afghan forces battled to flush out militants holed up near the Indian consulate in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, hours after they attempted to storm the diplomatic mission.

Gunfights raged Monday as Afghan forces battled to flush out militants holed up near the Indian consulate in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, hours after they attempted to storm the diplomatic mission.

Up to six assailants mounted the attack from a building close to the consulate in relatively tranquil Balkh province, prompting Afghan forces to cordon off the area.

An Indian official, who was hunkered down in a secure area within the diplomatic enclave, said all consulate employees were safe and accounted for.

The attack followed a deadly assault over the weekend by suspected terrorists on an air force base in the northern Indian state of Punjab.

Seven soldiers and six attackers were confirmed killed in the raid on the Pathankot base, which triggered a 14-hour gun battle Saturday and spurred Indian forces to be scrambled again on Sunday.

The assaults threaten to derail Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bold diplomatic outreach to Pakistan following his first official visit to Afghanistan.

The violence comes a week after Modi paid a surprise visit to Pakistan, the first by an Indian premier in 11 years.