ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack on an Afghan Gurdwara, claiming it was in reprisal for ‘insults’ to Prophet Muhammed. Protests erupted in several countries in response to suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma’s comments about the Prophet earlier this month. ISIS claimed Saturday’s attack targeted Hindus and Sikhs, as well as “apostates” who guarded them in “an act of assistance for the Messenger of Allah,” in a message posted on its Amaq propaganda site. According to the group, one of its fighters “penetrated a Hindu and Sikh polytheist temple in Kabul after killing its guard and opened fire on the pagan religions inside with his machine gun and hand grenades.”
The attack killed two people and injured at least seven others.
According to Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Nafi Takor, the attackers lobbed at least one grenade into the Gurdwara, sparking a fire.
The attack occurred following a visit to Kabul by an Indian delegation to discuss the distribution of humanitarian assistance from India to Afghanistan.
According to Afghan and Indian media, the envoy discussed with Taliban officials the possibility of restarting the Indian embassy, which had been closed since the Taliban took power in August last year.
Although the number of bombings in Afghanistan has decreased since the Taliban reclaimed power, several attacks, many of which targeted minority communities, have rocked the country in recent weeks, including many claimed by ISIS.
While ISIS, like the Taliban, is a Sunni Islamist organisation, their ideologies are diametrically opposed.
The number of Sikhs in Afghanistan has shrunk to around 200, down from around 500,000 in the 1970s.
Many Sikhs, including women and children, have sought refuge in the complicated that was attacked on Saturday in recent months.
Over the years, the community has been subjected to numerous attacks. In March 2020, gunmen attacked some other Gurdwara in Kabul, also claimed by ISIS. At least 25 people were killed.