PM Modi condemns ‘cowardly attack’ on gurdwara in Kabul
HT Correspondent
NEW DELHI: India on Saturday condemned a terrorist attack on Gurdwara Karte Parwan in the Afghanistan capital of Kabul, which killed at least two people and injured seven others and triggered fresh worries about the country’s Sikh minority.
“Shocked by the cowardly terrorist attack against the Karte Parwan Gurudwara in Kabul. I condemn this barbaric attack, and pray for the safety and well-being of the devotees,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet.
A spokesman for the Taliban’s interior ministry said the attackers had attempted to target the gurdwara with an explosives-laden vehicle, but it was thwarted before it could reach the shrine.
An Afghan Sikh and a Taliban fighter were killed in the attack, and all the attackers were eliminated, the spokesman said without giving details.
“The cowardly attack on Gurudwara Karte Parwan should be condemned in the strongest terms by all. We have been closely monitoring developments since the news of the attack was received. Our first and foremost concern is for the welfare of the community,” external affairs minister S Jaishankar tweeted.
A group of unidentified armed men stormed the gurdwara on Saturday morning when some 30 Sikh worshippers were inside the shrine. Several explosions were heard from within the shrine, and the attack triggered a gun battle that lasted several hours. The sound of explosions and gunfire could be heard in video footage posted on social media. One video showed smoke billowing out of the gurdwara.