'Shocked By Cowardly Attack', PM Modi Condemns Kabul Gurdwara Attack That Killed Two

Several blasts were reported near the gurudwara in the latest targeted attack on a place of worship of a minority community in the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. The dead include one Taliban militant and one Afghan Sikh.

Modi said in a tweet he was "shocked by the cowardly terrorist attack".

The Karta Parwan area of Kabul, where the gurdwara is located, is a centre for Afghan Hindu and Sikh communities. Gunfire was also reported from the area.

The gurdwara was attacked early on Saturday morning and a gun battle between the terrorists and Taliban fighters ensued, said Abdul Nafi Takor, a Taliban-appointed spokesperson for the Interior Ministry.?

He added that the attackers were killed but did not give exact details about the number of the attackers. He further said that another attack at the gurdwara was thwarted as an explosive-laden vehicle was stopped from reaching the gurdwara by security personnel.

Three attackers were killed by the Taliban forces, the Pajhwok news agency reported.

First the gunmen threw a hand grenade which caused a fire near the gate of the gurdwara, the Associated Press quoted the Interior Ministry spokesman as saying.

Khalid Zadran, a spokesman for the Kabul police chief, said the police operation ended after the last attacker was killed several hours later.

Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs had also tweeted on the attack, saying it was "closely monitoring" the situation.

In March 2020, at least 25 worshippers were killed and eight others injured when a heavily armed suicide bomber stormed Har Rai Sahib, a prominent gurdwara in the heart of Kabul, in one of the deadliest attacks on the minority Sikh community in the country.

The terrorist group ISIS had claimed responsibility for the attack in the Shor Bazar area.

(With PTI inputs)