Islamabad, Aug. 26: Three gunmen who attacked the vehicle carrying the chief American diplomat in the northern city of Peshawar this morning were armed with assault rifles and wore long hair and beards like the Taliban, the provincial police chief said.

The bulletproof Land Cruiser carrying the diplomat, Lynne Tracy, the principal officer at the US consulate, was stopped by the three men who got out of an SUV and fired, according to Naveed Khan, inspector general of police in the North West Frontier Province.

Tracy, who was on her way to work at the consulate from her home about a mile away, was unharmed, he said. The attack occurred in a district of the city known as University Town, considered one of the more secure areas with large houses protected by high walls and security guards. About 30 Americans work at the consulate, mostly managing economic development programmes.