On Wednesday, shooters and suicide bombers attacked a Sikh religious complex in Kabul. Ahmad Tariq Arian, Afghanistan's Interior Ministry spokesman, said that the attack led to the death of 25 people, with eight wounded. Afghani security forces were able to kill all the attackers and rescue 80 individuals. Afghanistan’s NATO mission official declared that the response to the attack was led and executed by Afghani forces under the guidance of NATO.
Narendra Singh Khalsa, a Member of Parliament and representative of the Sikh community in the country, said that over 200 people were trapped as the attack was carried out at a time when the dharamshala was full of worshippers. The attack was condemned by various human rights activists and Afghanistan’s government officials, alongside countries such as the US, India, and Pakistan.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks, calling it an act of revenge for the mistreatment of Muslims by Indian authorities in Kashmir. The attack came one day after the decision of the US government to cut $1 billion aid to Afghanistan as feuding political leaders could not reach an agreement to negotiate with the Taliban following the Afghan Peace Deal.
There are fewer than 300 Sikh families in Afghanistan. They face frequent discrimination and attacks by armed groups. The population drastically reduced in the 1980s after most members of the Sikh community fled after years of civil war and the rise of the Taliban.
Image Source: NBC News
Gunmen and Suicide Bombers Attack Kabul Gurudwara, 25 Dead
ISIS claimed responsibility, citing the mistreatment of Muslims in Kashmir as a reason.
March 26, 2020
