Two killed in attack on Kabul gurudrawa
While no organisation claimed responsibility for the attack, Takor confirmed that at least one member of the Islamic Emirate forces and an Afghan Sikh national were killed in the incident. Seven others were injured and hospitalised.
Several blasts tore through a gurdwara in Kabul on Saturday, killing two people, including a Sikh man, and injuring seven others in another deadly incident in a spate of violence targeting minorities and places of worship in the country.
In the latest targeted assault, Gurdwara Karte Parwan in Kabul’s Bagh-e Bala neighbourhood was attacked early on Saturday morning and a gun battle lasting several hours between the attackers and Taliban fighters ensued, said Abdul Nafi Takor, a spokesperson for the interior ministry.
Three attackers were killed by the Taliban fighters, the Pajhwok news agency reported.
While no organisation claimed responsibility for the attack, Takor confirmed that at least one member of the Islamic Emirate forces and an Afghan Sikh national were killed in the incident. Seven others were injured and hospitalised.
According to the statement from the interior ministry, an explosive-laden vehicle aiming to target the place was thwarted before reaching its goal.
The gurdwara was attacked early in the morning when up to 30 people were inside, the BBC reported. Grey smoke billowed over the area in images aired by domestic broadcaster Tolo.
Takor said a vehicle full of explosives was detonated outside of the gurdwara but that resulted in no casualties. First, the gunmen threw a hand grenade which caused a fire near the gate of the gurdwara, the Associated Press quoted the interior ministry spokesperson as saying.
“There were around 30 people inside the temple,” said a gurdwara official, Gornam Singh. Gurdwara authorities did not know what to do, as the Taliban were not allowing them inside, Singh said.
Khalid Zadran, a spokesperson for the Kabul police chief, said the police operation ended after the last attacker was killed several hours later. “The security forces were able to act quickly to control the attack and eliminate the attackers in a short period of time to prevent further casualties,” he said.
In New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the terrorist attack. “Shocked by the cowardly terrorist attack against the Karte Parwan Gurudwara in Kabul. I condemn this barbaric attack, and pray for the safety and well-being of the devotees,” he tweeted.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar strongly condemned the “cowardly attack” and said the government was closely monitoring the situation following the incident.
“The cowardly attack on Gurdwara 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,” Jaishankar tweeted.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. However, the attack is suspected to have been carried out by from ISIS Khurasan.
The Islamic State group known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province has in the past claimed responsibility for attacks on mosques and minorities across the country.
“We heard a huge blast in Kart-e-Parwan neighbourhood at around 6 am local time. The blast was followed by another explosion which occurred about half an hour after the first blast. The whole place has now been sealed off,” China’s state-run Xinhua news agency quoted a witness as saying.
The security forces have cordoned off the area for precautionary measures, he said.
There were less than 700 Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan at the time of the 2020 attack. Since then, dozens of families have left but many cannot financially afford to move and have remained in Afghanistan, mainly in Kabul, Jalalabad and Ghazni, according to AP.
Since taking power in August, the Taliban say they have secured Afghanistan, although international officials and analysts say the risk of a resurgence in militancy remains.
Sikhs are a tiny religious minority in largely Muslim Afghanistan, comprising about 300 families before the country fell to the Taliban. But many left afterwards, say members of the community and media.
Like other religious minorities, Sikhs have been a continual target of violence in Afghanistan.
