Terrorist Attack on Gurdwara in Kabul: Several explosions took place at a gurdwara in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, on Saturday, killing two people and injuring seven others. At the same time, security personnel averted a major incident by preventing an explosive-laden vehicle from entering the shrine of Sikhs.

Encounter between terrorists and Taliban fighters

Taliban-appointed Home Affairs Spokesperson Abdul Nafi Taqor said that the Karte Parwan gurdwara was attacked on Saturday morning and an encounter broke out between militants and Taliban fighters, in a recent targeted attack on a place of worship for the Sikh community in Afghanistan. Went.

Did not give concrete information about the attackers 

Without giving exact details about the number of attackers, Takor said the attackers were killed. He confirmed that at least one member of Islamic Emirate forces and an Afghan Hindu civilian were killed and seven others were injured in the incident, who have been hospitalized.

30 people were present in the gurdwara 

According to a statement from Afghanistan's Interior Ministry, a vehicle laden with explosives was stopped before reaching the target. The BBC reported that 30 people were inside when the gurdwara was attacked in the morning. The blast took place in the Karte Parwan area of ​​Kabul and the sound of firing was also heard. The region is the center of the Afghan Hindu and Sikh communities.

People heard the sound of explosions

The Home Ministry had earlier said in a statement that several unidentified armed men entered the area early in the morning. At the same time, local people said that they heard several explosions and gunshots in the area. 

Punjab Chief Minister expressed anger 

In New Delhi, a spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs tweeted, "We are deeply concerned about the news of the attack on the Holy Gurudwara in Kabul. We are monitoring the situation and await further details on the developments taking place. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in a tweet, 'The cowardly attack on Gurdwara Karte Parwan should be condemned in the strongest terms. We are closely monitoring the developments since we got the news of the attack. Our first and foremost concern is for the welfare of the community. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also strongly condemned the attack and urged the Center to provide immediate assistance to ensure the safety of minorities in the Afghan capital.

a plume of smoke in the sky

No one immediately claimed responsibility for this attack. China's Xinhua news agency quoted an eyewitness as saying, 'We heard the sound of the explosion in the Karte Parwan area at around 6 am local time. The second explosion occurred about half an hour after the first explosion. At present, the entire area has been sealed. He said that the security forces have cordoned off the area as a precaution. According to eyewitnesses, there was a plume of smoke in the sky due to the explosion. After the attack, there is an atmosphere of panic in the entire area. 

Hindu and Sikh families are continuously decreasing 

According to the AP, there were less than 700 Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan at the time of the 2020 attack. Since then, dozens of families have moved, but many have been unable to move to other countries due to financial constraints and are living in Afghanistan, mainly in Kabul, Jalalabad and Ghazni. Sikh community leaders estimate that there are only 140 Sikhs left in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, mostly in the eastern city of Jalalabad and the capital, Kabul.

Suicide attack happened in 2020 too 

Attacks by rival Sunni Muslim militant group Islamic State have continued in the country since the Taliban came to power in August last year. Saturday's incident is an attack targeting a place of worship of a minority community in Afghanistan. Earlier, in March 2020, at least 25 pilgrims were killed and eight others were injured in a suicide attack on a Gurudwara in Kabul. The attack was one of the deadliest attacks on the minority Sikh community in Afghanistan. The terrorist group Islamic State (IS) had claimed the responsibility of this attack in Shor Bazar area.