U.S. consulate car attacked in Pakistan

• NEW: A explosives-laden car smashes into a vehicle from the U.S. Consulate
• The attack takes place near the offices of the consulate and UNHCR
• The consulate has been the target in earlier attacks

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Two Americans were among four people killed when a car filled with explosives slammed into a vehicle from the U.S. Consulate in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Monday, authorities said.

The suicide attack on the U.S. vehicle, which was leaving the American Club in Peshawar when it was hit, also wounded at least 19 people, including a woman and two children, said provincial information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain

The attack took place in an area of the city where several international agencies have offices. In addition to the U.S. Consulate, the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, is also located in the area.

Peshawar is about 190 kilometers (120 miles) from the country's capital, Islamabad.

In May 2011, a remote-controlled car bomb targeted a convoy of U.S. Consulate vehicles in Peshawar, killing one and wounding 11. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

In April 2010, three explosions went off in rapid succession near the consulate.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, of which Peshawar is the capital, is rife with Islamic extremists and has been the site of recent clashes between Pakistani security forces and militants.

It was formerly known as the North West Frontier Province, a name assigned during the British colonial rule. The ruling party changed the name to reflect the province's majority Pashtun population.