Kabul gurdwara attack ends, 2 killed

Kabul: The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan on Saturday confirmed that an attack at a gurdwara in Kabul has ended, adding that two people were killed and seven others injured in the incident.

At about 6.30 a.m., three explosions ripped through the gurdwara located in the capital’s Kart-e-Parwan area.

“The security forces were able to immediately mobilize to control the attack and eliminate the attacker in a short time to prevent further casualties,” Ariana News quoted Kabul Police spokesman Khalid Zadran as saying.

According to Zadran, the victims comprised one security personnel and a Hindu civilian.

In a statement, the Interior Ministry said that “before entering, the enemy attacked the guards with a grenade, which caused a fire, and two of our Hindu compatriots, who were injured in the attack, were evacuated and taken to hospital for treatment”.

According to the Ministry, a car bomb was also detonated by the insurgents before it reached its target.

“Fortunately, they did not reach their target and detonated a car bomb before reaching the target.”

Videos on social media showed smoke billowing from the two-storey gurdwara which is surrounded by blast walls.

Earlier in the day, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said that it was closely monitoring the situation.

We are deeply concerned at the reports emanating from Kabul about an attack on a sacred gurdwara in that city,” a statement citing Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said.

“We are closely monitoring the situation and waiting for further details on the unfolding developments.”

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, however, the Islamic State’s in Khorasan unit (IS-K) has in the past claimed responsibility for attacks on mosques and minorities across the country.

On Friday, one person was killed and seven others were wounded after a blast hit a mosque in the northern province of Kunduz. – IANS