Gunfire outside US consulate in Istanbul

Istanbul: Istanbul's governor says an armed attack against a police guardpost outside the US consulate in Istanbul left three attackers and three policemen dead.

Governor Muammer Guler says the attackers' identities are under investigation.

A US Embassy spokeswoman says there were no reports of casualties among American consulate employees in Wednesday's attack.

The spokeswoman says "at least one assailant opened fire on the Turkish police guardpost area near the main entrance to the consulate." She requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Ercan Ozgul, a doctor at the Istinye hospital, says two officers died in hospital.