Six killed at US Istanbul mission

MEN armed with pistols and shotguns attacked a police guard post outside the US consulate in Istanbul, sparking a gunbattle that left three attackers and three officers dead.

Turkish and US officials called the shooting a terrorist attack. The US ambassador to Turkey and Turkey’s foreign ministry said security around all American diplomatic missions in Turkey had been increased.

Yavuz Erkut Yuksel, a bystander, told CNN-Turk television that the attackers emerged from a vehicle and surprised the guard.