Blast rocks Kabul Sikh temple: 2 civilians die

FE Team | Published: June 18, 2022 21:23:50

KABUL, June 18 (BBC): An assault on a temple of Afghanistan's tiny Sikh community has left one worshipper and a Taliban member dead as well as the unidentified attackers.
The temple in the capital Kabul was hit by a bomb early in the morning when up to 30 people were inside.
It is the last remaining Sikh temple in the capital.
Community leaders recently estimated that just 140 Sikhs remained in predominantly Muslim Afghanistan, down from 100,000 in the 1970s.
At least two civilians were killed and three security forces wounded on Saturday after three explosions hit a Sikh-Hindu temple in Police District 4 in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, according to multiple sources.
"We heard a huge blast which struck the gate of a temple in Kart-e-Parwan neighborhood at around 6 a.m. local time. The blast was followed by two more explosions inside the temple," an eyewitness told Xinhua.
The security forces have cordoned off the area for precautionary measures, and several warning shots were also fired by the security personnel, he said.
Besides, a security source told Xinhua near the site that two civilians lost their lives in the first blast. According to initial reports, gunmen stormed and entered the building, and security forces were trying to eliminate or capture the attackers, the source said.
He also said three security forces were also wounded in the incident.
India, which is home to most of the world's Sikh population, said it was "deeply concerned" at news of the attack.
A local official at the scene, Gornam Singh, told Reuters news agency that the Taliban were not allowing Sikhs to enter the temple after the attack.
TV footage showed grey plumes of smoke rising from the area.
A Taliban spokesman told Reuters news agency the attackers had attempted to drive a car laden with explosives into the area but they detonated before they reached their target.
The Taliban, which took control of Afghanistan last year, said a clearance operation was still under way although the attack had ended.
The BBC's Secunder Kermani was interviewing relatives of victims outside a hospital when two Taliban militants stopped his crew, trying to delete their footage.
Since the Taliban took power, the country has seen continuing attacks by rival Sunni Muslim militant group Islamic State:
Afghanistan once had a thriving Sikh and Hindu population, but years of conflict and instability saw the community drastically shrink in size.
By the time the Taliban took power last year, there were only fewer than 300 Sikhs left in Afghanistan.
They have been repeatedly attacked by the local branch of the Islamic State group, with suicide bombers targeting the community in major attacks in 2018 and 2020.