Kabul , Afghanistan ( CNN ) -- A huge explosion rocked the area near the U.S. consulate in Afghanistan 's Herat province early Friday during a heavy gunfight between militants and security forces , officials said . The attack occurred just before 6 a.m. local time when attackers sped towards the front gate of the consulate , said Marie Harf , a deputy State Department spokeswoman . The attackers fired assault rifles starting a gun battle with Afghan security forces . During the battle , a truck exploded , Harf said , causing major damage to the front gate of the consulate . American consulate personnel took shelter in safe havens while U.S. security forces responded to the attack , Harf said . There were no U.S. casualties . Seven attackers traveling in two vehicles took part in the assault and all of them were killed , said Mohammad Ayoub Salangi , deputy Afghan Interior Minister . Three people , two local police officers and a local security guard , were killed , police and hospital officials said . Twenty others were injured . The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in an e-mail to CNN . U.S . Ambassador James B. Cunningham in a statement condemned the attack and lamented the Afghan citizens who lost their lives . `` Many Afghan civilians were killed in the attack , along with others who work for the Consulate as contractors . We are deeply saddened by this senseless loss of life , '' he said .
There were no U.S. casualties in the attack in Herat province . The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred on a busy road near an Afghan army base. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack .