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India condemns attack on gurdwara in Kabul
The Taliban’s interior ministry said a number of unknown armed men had entered the gurdwara. The attackers used a grenade that injured two people, it said. Afghanistan’s Pajhwok news agency reported three attackers were killed by Taliban forces
India on Saturday condemned a terrorist attack on Gurdwara Karte Parwan in the Afghan capital of Kabul, which killed at least two people and injured seven others and triggered fresh worries about the country’s Sikh minority.
A spokesperson for the Taliban’s interior ministry said the attackers had attempted to target the gurdwara with an explosives-laden vehicle but it was thwarted before it could reach the shrine. An Afghan Sikh and a Taliban fighter were killed in the attack and all the attackers were eliminated, the spokesperson said without giving details.
“The cowardly attack on Gurudwara Karte Parwan should be condemned in the strongest terms by all. We have been closely monitoring developments since the news of the attack was received. Our first and foremost concern is for the welfare of the community,” external affairs minister S Jaishankar tweeted.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said: “We are deeply concerned at the reports emanating from Kabul about an attack on a sacred gurdwara in that city.” He added that the Indian side is closely monitoring the situation.
A group of unidentified armed men stormed the gurdwara on Saturday morning when some 30 Sikh worshippers were inside the shrine. Several explosions were heard from within the shrine and the attack triggered a gun battle that lasted several hours.
The sound of explosions and gunfire could be heard in video footage posted on social media. One video showed smoke billowing out of the gurdwara.
The Taliban’s interior ministry said a number of unknown armed men had entered the gurdwara. The attackers used a grenade that injured two people, it said. Afghanistan’s Pajhwok news agency reported three attackers were killed by Taliban forces.
The gun battle triggered a fire that extensively damaged the gurdwara, according to reports. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, though Sikh leaders in Kabul hinted the attackers may be members of Islamic State, which has carried out brazen attacks targeting minorities such as Shias and Sikhs over the past few years.
Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai condemned the attack as a “terrorist incident”, and called for a national dialogue to ensure long-term peace and stability.
Abdullah Abdullah, former chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, said, “I strongly condemn today’s heinous and cowardly terrorist attack on our Sikh community gurdwara in Karte Parwan.”
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) strongly condemned the attack on Twitter and said: “Attacks on civilians must cease immediately. UNAMA calls for protection of all minorities in Afghanistan, including Sikhs, Hazaras and Sufis.”
An attack on another Sikh place of worship in Kabul in March 2020 killed more than 25 people. Gurdwara Karte Parwan is the main Sikh shrine in Kabul and has been targeted by terrorists on several occasions.
Sikhs are a miniscule religious minority in Afghanistan, and there were a few hundred members of the community in Kabul before the fall of the country to the Taliban in August last year. India evacuated close to 200 Afghan Hindus and Sikhs after the fall of Kabul. It is believed that some 200 Sikhs are still in Kabul.
The Khorasan unit of the Islamic State has emerged as the main challenger to the Taliban, which took over Afghanistan following the chaotic withdrawal of US and Western forces.
