US Closes Consulate in Pakistan

KARACHI, Pakistan – The United States has closed its consulate in the city of Karachi after local authorities reopened a street in front that the Americans deemed a security risk, a U.S. official said Monday.

The consulate was closed after Pakistani authorities on Monday morning removed large concrete blocks and reopened the road in front of the heavily guarded building to normal traffic.

The U.S. State Department suspended business operations at the consulate because it did not approve of the reopening, State Department spokesman Philip Reeker told reporters in Washington.

Reeker said U.S. officials were discussing the matter with local authorities in Karachi "but at this point, the consulate's going to remain closed until a mutually accepted agreement can be reached with the government of the province" that assures the safety of the compound.

Abdullan Haroon Road is a major Karachi artery that was the site of a June 14 car-bombing outside the U.S. Consulate that killed 12, all Pakistanis.

The road was shut after the blast. One direction of traffic was later reopened, but the side of the road closest to the consulate remained sealed off until Monday.

A consulate official in Karachi, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said consulate staff were sent home Monday morning and told to wait for instructions.

Karachi city police chief Asad Jahangir told The Associated Press he had not heard of any specific threats to the U.S. building.

Karachi, a sprawling city of 14 million people, has seen extremist violence and anti-Western sentiment following last year's start of U.S. military operations in neighboring Afghanistan. The government of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has been a key supporter of the U.S. campaign.

Even before the June attack, which also injured 50 people, security was tight. The sidewalk in front of the U.S. Consulate has been closed off by concrete blocks, as have smaller streets near the structure. More blocks and barriers have been added since the blast.

One or two Pakistani armored troop carriers have also been parked in front, and police and paramilitary rangers stand guard.

Last month, France closed its consulate building in Karachi and moved its diplomats and staff to the more heavily guarded British consulate.

Islamic militants have threatened to strike against American interests in Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistan's support for the U.S.-led war against terror and its ongoing crackdown on Muslim extremists. Similar threats were also made after a Pakistani court handed down the death sentence to one of those convicted in the murder of U.S. reporter Daniel Pearl.

The threats come despite stepped up pressure by Pakistani security forces on Taliban and al-Qaida members who fled the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan.

Last month, police in Karachi arrested three men accused in an attempt to kill Pakistani President Musharraf in April. The plot failed when a vehicle rigged with explosives did not detonate as Musharraf's convoy drove past, police said. The same vehicle subsequently was used in the U.S. Consulate bombing, according to police.