25 killed in Kabul gurdwara attack; Islamic State claims responsibility

Shooters stormed a spiritual gathering of Afghanistan’s minority Sikhs within their place of worship (gurdwara) in the heart of Kabul’s old city on Wednesday, killing 25 people.

Within hours, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. Those killed included a baby whose body was dropped at a Kabul hospital, the emergency services and also the hospital said. A minimum of 15 people was injured.

The attackers targeted a ‘Dharamshala’ in Shor Bazar area of Kabul, which features a sizeable population of the Hindu and Sikh minorities. Some reports said the attack began at 7.45 am Afghan time.

India strongly condemned the terror attack, saying targeting of a spiritual place within the midst of the Covid-19 outbreak reflects the “diabolical mindset” of the perpetrators and their backers.

“India stands able to extend all possible assistance to the affected families of the Hindu and Sikh community of Afghanistan,” it said.

Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry said police responded promptly to the attack on gurdwara, and shooting was still underway. Afghanistan-based Tolo News noted there had been three attackers - one in all them has been killed, the opposite one escaped and also the third unit of ammunition.

Photos posted on social media by Afghan journalists showed security forces and native residents evacuating the injured in ambulances.

The Afghan security forces had cleared the original floor of the Sikh place of worship and rescued a “number of people” who were trapped inside the building, interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said.

Media reports said dozens of individuals were still trapped within the building.

The Shor Bazar area of Kabul was once home to many gurdwaras, but they were destroyed during the fighting within the 1980s. Many Hindus and Sikhs living within the region also migrated to other countries. Kabul remains home to many thousand Hindus and Sikhs.