Islamabad, Jun. 19, (dpa/GNA) – The Islamic State (IS) militant group has claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack on a Sikh temple in Kabul city that killed two people and injured seven others.
According to a statement on the group’s official Telegram channel, the attack was revenge for recent derogatory remarks about the prophet Mohammed made by an Indian politician.
IS claims that around 50 Hindu, Sikh, and Taliban guards were killed during an attack on the complex that lasted three hours. These casualty numbers could not be independently verified.
The statement added that a suicide attacker had stormed the temple after killing its guards and attacked people inside using a machine gun and hand grenades. Four explosive devices and a car bomb were also detonated.
Pictures from the aftermath of the attack show the temple destroyed and burned by fire. Several nearby houses were also damaged due to the car bombing.
The attack was condemned domestically and internationally.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was shocked by the attack and was praying for the well-being of the devotees.
The UN diplomatic mission in Afghanistan called for the protection of all minorities in the country, including Sikhs, Hazaras and Sufis.
In recent months, numerous attacks, mostly claimed by IS, have targeted minority religious groups such as Shia Muslims and Sufi mosques in Afghanistan.
On Friday, at least one worshipper was killed and seven others wounded in an explosion inside a mosque in the northern Kunduz province.
GNA