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UPDATE: ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.
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On March 25th, Gunmen and suicide bombers have stormed a Sikh religious complex in the Afghan capital Kabul and were locked in an ongoing battle with security forces, the Afghan interior ministry said.
The attack began at 7:45 local time, and security forces immediately cordoned off the area while trying to counter it, Ministry of Interior spokesman Tariq Arian said.
At around 11:30 local time, security forces were still fighting with the 3 of the attackers, and 1 of them had been shot.
At least 11 people have been killed and 11 others wounded in attack at Dharamshala, a Sikh worship area in PD1 of #Kabul, a security source said, adding that "three attackers are still fighting with security forces and one has been shot."#Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/6T1PCdx3N9
— TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) March 25, 2020
According to reports, at least 11 people have been killed by the attackers.
Attack on a Gurudwara sahib at Kabul .
At least 11 people have been killed by attackers at Dharamshala, a Sikh worship area at #Kabul .No one has taken responsibility for d attack,but the firing is still on .
#Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/EOuDi4tVDa
— ? (@kashmiri_kurii) March 25, 2020
“People are stuck inside the building and (security forces) are trying to rescue them,” Arian told AFP news agency.
“There are about 150 people inside the temple. Families are living there and they usually gather to offer prayers in the mornings,” said Anarkali Kaur Honaryar, a Sikh member of the Afghan parliament.
“Some people inside the temple are hiding and their phones are off. I am very concerned.”
Narindra Singh Khalsa, a parliamentarian from the minority Sikh community, told AP news agency he had been near the Gurdwara – the Sikh place of worship – when the attack happened and ran to the site. He said at least four people were killed.
Khalsa later told Reuters that many people were still inside the building. “The gunmen started their attack at a time when the Dharamsala was full of worshippers,” he said, referring to a sanctuary area in the temple compound.
There were about 150 Sikhs in the Gurdwara when
#GurdwaraGuruHarRai, Shor Bazar, #Kabul where in a #fidayeenattack four persons were killed seven injured .#KabulBlastatGurdwara pic.twitter.com/uVSDrLKkrg— Ravinder Singh Robin ਰਵਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ راویندرسنگھ روبن (@rsrobin1) March 25, 2020
There is a video purportedly showing an Afghan Sikh ask for help, while trapped.
In a shoking video An Afghan sikh and his family calling for help. They were trapped in the Kabul Gurudwara
#GurdwaraGuruHarRai, Shor Bazar, #Kabul which was under. #fidayeenattack #KabulBlastatGurdwara pic.twitter.com/kZvOBK6m0X— Ravinder Singh Robin ਰਵਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ راویندرسنگھ روبن (@rsrobin1) March 25, 2020
The Taliban denied any involvement in the attack.
While no other group immediately claimed responsibility, ISIS terrorists frequently orchestrate assaults on the country’s religious minorities. Earlier in March, Afghanistan’s ISIS affiliate struck a gathering of minority Shiite Muslims in Kabul, killing 32 people.
In 2018, a suicide bombing targeting the Sikh community and claimed by ISIL killed more than a dozen people in the eastern city of Jalalabad.
The attack comes as Afghanistan is facing several crisis that have put the country on the brink.
The US and the Taliban signed a deal last month that was supposed to pave the way for talks between the Afghan leadership and the Taliban, but with Kabul unable to agree who is in government, the talks have stalled.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Kabul on March 24th in an attempt to mediate in a standoff between President Ashraf Ghan and his rival Abdullah Abdullah, who also is proclaiming himself president following a contested election.
Pompeo, who condemned their “failure” to come to an agreement, said the US would immediately cut $1 billion and was “prepared” to pull another $1 billion in 2021, with further cuts possible after that.
Visuals in the same Gurdwara,#Kabul pic.twitter.com/qmHjzAScKe
— Bhushan Lal Koul (@BhushanLalKoul2) March 25, 2020
BREAKING | TOLOnews reporter Sharif Amiry says that two new explosions were heard at Dharamshala, a Sikh worship area in PD1 of #Kabul. #Afghanistan
(?: TOLOnews)pic.twitter.com/xfzob92Bfp— Bollywood Buzz (@CricBollyBuzz) March 25, 2020
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Sad, the Sikhs were driven out of Kashmir by Muslims after partition and attacked by Indira Gandhi in India.
India and Pakistan should give it back to the Sikhs and make peace.
These bastards only want scums (L. A) who believes in their tyrant wahhabi ideology to live rest should die curse of God be upon these coward scums (L. A) and master sayad ibn sayad (L. A) for killing the innocent pious sikh people and rest of humanity
I cant understand what that Sikh was saying, but he didnt look shaken or rattled whatsoever.
That guy would probably make for a good soldier.
The British considered Sikhs to be a martial race; it shows.