Islamic State claims attack on Sikh temple in Kabul that killed two

An attack claimed Islamic State 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.
On an affiliated Telegram channel, the local branch of Islamic State said the attack was in response to insults levelled at the Prophet Mohammed, an apparent reference to remarks an Indian government spokeswoman that have been condemned many Muslim-majority countries.
Grey smoke billowed over the area in images aired domestic broadcaster Tolo. A Taliban interior spokesman said attackers had laden a car with explosives but it had detonated before reaching its target.
A temple official, Gornam Singh, said there were around 30 people inside the building at the time.
A spokesman for Kabul’s commander said one Sikh worshipper had been killed in the attack and one Taliban fighter was killed as his forces took control of the area.

Watch: Local Sikh community evacuates saroop of Sri Guru Granth Sahib from Gurdwara Karte Parwan which is under attack terrors in #Kabul of #Afghanan. “We have safely taken out Sri Guru Granth Sahib,” local Sikhs told @IndianExpress @iepunjab pic.twitter.com/rRUUUsIuHd
— Divya Goyal (@divya5521) June 18, 2022
Since taking power in August, the Taliban say they have increased security in Afghanan and removed the country from militant threats, although international officials and analysts say the risk of a resurgence in militancy remains.
Islamic State has claimed some attacks in recent months.
The group said a suicide attacker stormed the temple on Saturday morning armed with a machine gun and hand grenades after killing its guard.
Fire tenders at the site of explosion at a Gurudwara, in Kabul, Saturday, Jun 18, 2022. (PTI)
Other militants fought for more than three hours with Taliban fighters who tried to intervene to protect the temple, targeting them with four explosive devices and a car bomb, the militant group said.
The blast on Saturday was widely condemned as one of a series of attacks targeting minorities, with a statement from neighbouring Pakan saying its government was “seriously concerned at the recent spate of terror attacks on places of worship in Afghanan.”
The UN’s mission to Afghanan said in a statement that minorities in the country needed to be protected and India’s President Narendra Modi said on Twitter he was “shocked” the attack.

Shocked the cowardly terror attack against the Karte Parwan Gurudwara in Kabul. I condemn this barbaric attack, and pray for the safety and well-being of the devotees.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 18, 2022
Sikhs are a tiny religious minority in largely Muslim Afghanan, comprising about 300 families before the country fell to the Taliban. Many have since left, according to members of the community and media.
Like other religious minorities, Sikhs have been a continual target of violence in Afghanan. An attack at another temple in Kabul in 2020 that killed 25 was also claimed Islamic State.Best of Express PremiumPremiumPremiumPremiumPremium
Saturday’s explosion followed a blast at a mosque in the northern city of Kunduz the previous day that killed one person and injured two, according to authorities.