Afghan Sikh Among Two Dead, Three Attackers Killed In Kabul Gurdwara Attack

Several blasts tore through a gurdwara in Kabul on Saturday--killing two persons, including a Sikh, and injuring seven others--even as Afghanistan's security personnel thwarted a bigger tragedy by stopping an explosive-laden vehicle from reaching the place of worship.

Gurdwara Karte Parwan in Kabul's Bagh-e-Bala area was attacked early Saturday morning and a gun battle lasting several hours between the terrorists and Taliban fighters ensued, Abdul Nafi Takor, a spokesperson for Afghanistan's interior ministry, said in a statement. Three attackers were killed by the Taliban forces, the Pajhwok news agency reported.

The gurdwara was attacked early in the morning when up to 30 people were inside, the BBC reported.

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. Takor said that 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 AP quoted the interior ministry spokesman as saying.

Khalid Zadran, a spokesman for the Kabul Police chief, said that 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, Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar condemned the "cowardly attack" and said that 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," he tweeted. "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."

"We are deeply concerned at the reports emanating from Kabul about an attack on a sacred Gurdwara in that city," the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs also tweeted. "We are closely monitoring the situation and waiting for further details on the unfolding developments."

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann condemned the attack and urged the central government to extend immediate assistance to ensure the safety of minorities in the Afghan capital.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

"We heard a huge blast in Kart-e-Parwan neighbourhood at around 6:00 am. The blast was followed by another explosion which occurred about half an hour after the first blast. The whole place has been sealed off," China's state-run Xinhua news agency quoted an eyewitness as saying.

The security forces have cordoned the area for precautionary measures, the eyewitness said. The blast sent a column of thick smoke into the sky and triggered panic, he said.

In March 2020, at least 25 worshippers were killed and eight others injured when a heavily armed suicide bomber stormed Har Rai Sahib, a prominent gurdwara in Kabul, in one of the deadliest attacks on the minority Sikh community in the country. The Islamic State terror group had claimed responsibility for the attack.

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 the Taliban took power in August last year, the country has seen continuing attacks by rival Sunni Muslim militant group Islamic State. Saturday's incident is the latest on a place of worship of a minority community in Afghanistan.