At least two people were killed and seven others were injured in a militant attack on a Sikh temple in Kabul, according to Taliban officials in Kabul.
A member of the Sikh community and one of the members of the Taliban forces were among the fatalities, according to the Taliban security officials.
Reports say that the attackers were besieged within the temple, according to the Taliban security officials.
The attack began on Saturday morning, June 18, in the Karte Parwan area of Kabul, and the attackers and Taliban forces fought for several hours.
All of the militants were killed, according to Khalid Zadran, a spokesman for the Taliban’s police office in Kabul, who also stated seven civilians were injured.
A group of militants assaulted the Sikh temple, also known as the Sikh Gurudwara, with a hand grenade, setting it on fire, according to a Taliban Interior Ministry newsletter.
There has been no claim of responsibility for the incident.
Meanwhile, Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has condemned the act in the “strongest terms” calling it a “cowardly attack”.
The Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through a press release, also condemns the today’s attack on the Sikh Gurudwara, expressing concern “at the recent spate of terrorist attacks on places of worship in Afghanistan” as well as “strong solidarity with the people of Afghanistan”.
Terrorist groups have repeatedly targeted Hindu and Sikh minorities in Afghanistan.
Earlier, Christine Fair, a security studies professor, told the Open magazine that the Taliban’s ties to terrorist groups put Indian diplomats’ safety in jeopardy.
She further said that the Taliban could not protect Indians in Afghanistan.
