Protests erupted in various nations in response to suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma’s remarks regarding the Prophet earlier this month. ISIS claimed that it attacked to avenge the controversial remarks.
Kabul: According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack on an Afghan Gurdwara, claiming it was in response to ‘insults’ to Prophet Muhammed.
Protests erupted in various nations in response to suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma’s remarks regarding the Prophet earlier this month. ISIS said Saturday’s attack targeted Hindus and Sikhs and “apostates” who supported them in “an act of support for the Messenger of Allah,” in a message issued on its Amaq propaganda outlet.
According to the group, one of its militants “penetrated a Hindu and Sikh polytheist temple in Kabul after murdering its guard and began fire on the pagans inside with his machine gun and hand grenades.” The incident killed two people and injured at least seven more.
According to Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Nafi Takor, the attackers tossed at least one grenade into the Gurdwara, sparking a fire. The attack occurred following a visit to Kabul by an Indian delegation to negotiate the provision of humanitarian aid from India to Afghanistan, as reported by AFP.
According to Afghan and Indian media, the group discussed with Taliban officials the prospect of reopening 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, multiple strikes, many of which targeted minority communities, have rocked the country in recent months, including three claimed by ISIS.
While ISIS, like the Taliban, is a Sunni Islamist organization, its ideologies are opposed.
The number of Sikhs in Afghanistan has shrunk to roughly 200, down from around 500,000 in the 1970s. Many Sikhs, including women and children, have sought safety at the complex targeted on Saturday in recent months.
Over the years, the community has been subjected to numerous attacks. In March 2020, shooters assaulted another Gurdwara in Kabul, also claimed by ISIS; at least 25 people were slain, according to AFP.
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