Daesh claims Kabul Sikh temple attack

Gulf Today Report

An attack claimed by Daesh on a Sikh temple in the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday killed at least two people and injured seven, officials said, another deadly incident in a spate of violence targeting minorities and places of worship.

The Daesh claimed responsibility for an attack that killed one community member and a Taliban fighter, saying it was retaliation for insults against the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).

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In a message posted on its Amaq propaganda site, the Daesh group said on Saturday's attack targeted Hindus and Sikhs and the "apostates" who protected them in "an act of support for the Messenger of Allah".

Daesh said one of its fighters "penetrated a temple for Hindu and Sikh polytheists in Kabul, after killing its guard, and opened fire on the pagans inside with his machine gun and hand grenades".

Two were killed and at least seven others wounded in the raid.

Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Nafi Takor said the attackers lobbed at least one grenade when they entered the temple, setting off a blaze.

The attack follows a visit by an Indian delegation to Kabul to discuss the distribution of humanitarian aid from India to Afghanistan.

Afghan and Indian media reports said the delegation discussed with Taliban officials the possibility of reopening the Indian embassy, which shut after the Taliban seized power in August last year.

The number of bombings across Afghanistan has dropped since the Taliban returned to power, but several attacks — many targeting minority communities — have rocked the country in recent months, including several claimed by Daesh.