Kabul: At least 25 people were killed, while 10 were left wounded, after a Gurudwara was attacked here on early Wednesday morning.
According to local media reports, a group of suicide bombers intruded into a Sikh temple in Shor Bazar area, at around 0745 hrs local time.
Country’s Interior ministry confirmed that nearly 80 people, including women and children, were rescued.
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Reports suggested that around 150 people were praying in the Gurudwara, at the time of the attack.
India, which has maximum number of Sikh population in the whole world, strongly condemned the ‘heinous’ terror attack on the Gurudwara.
‘We convey our sincerest condolences to the immediate family members of the deceased and wish speedy recovery to the injured. India stands ready to extend all possible assistance to the affected families of the Hindu and Sikh community of Afghanistan,’ the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement here.
The MEA further said that such cowardly attacks on the places of religious worship of the minority community, especially at this time of COVID-19 pandemic, was reflective of the diabolical mindset of the perpetrators and their backers.
Earlier, it was suspected that Taliban carried out the attack, but later, spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid in a statement said that the Islamic Emirate has no link with the attack in Shor Bazar area of Kabul.
Human Rights organisation Amnesty International South Asia said that the authorities have a responsibility to protect the minorities and their places of worship in Afghanistan.
“The suspected perpetrators must be held accountable through fair trials, without recourse to the death penalty”, they averred.
