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Islamic State claims attack on Kabul gurdwara, says response to Prophet insult
The attack on Gurdwara Karte Parwan in Kabul comes days after the local branch of Islamic State released a video on its propaganda site warning attack on Hindus and Sikhs.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack on a gurdwara in Afghanistan capital that killed an Afghan Sikh and a Taliban fighter, news agencies reported. The local affiliate of the terror outfit said on its Telegram channel that the attack was in response to the insults levelled to Prophet Mohammed, an apparent reference to the remarks made by BJP functionaries.
In a message posted by Islamic State Khorasan Province media wing, the outfit said that the attack targeted Hindus and Sikhs and the "apostates" who protected them in "an act of support for the Messenger of Allah", reported AFP. ISKP said one of its fighters "penetrated a temple for Hindu and Sikh polytheists in Kabul, after killing its guard, and opened fire on the pagans inside with his machine gun and hand grenades".
Smoke billowed over Gurdwara Karte Parwan in Kabul after terrorists stormed the Sikh temple on Saturday when around 30 community members were inside for morning prayers.
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A spokesperson for the Taliban’s interior ministry said the terrorists had attempted to target the gurdwara with an explosives-laden vehicle, but it was thwarted before it could reach the shrine.
Following the attack, India granted e-visas to over 100 Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan on “priority”, government officials said.
The attack comes days after the ISKP released a video on its propaganda site warning attack on Hindus and Sikhs. The video featured now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma who had made controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammed on a television channel. It highlighted the attack on a Sikh temple in March 2020, threatening to carry out more such attacks.
Sikhs are a tiny religious minority in Muslim-majority Afghanistan, comprising about 300 families before the country fell to the Taliban.
(With inputs from AFP, Reuters)
