2 Killed In Blasts Near Gurdwara In Kabul, India Says "Deeply Concerned"

Two people have died and several trapped in a Gurdwara in Afghanistan's capital Kabul after two blasts rocked the city this morning. The blasts took place near the gates of the Gurdwara. Multiple gunshots were heard too.

The two blasts happened near the two gates of Gurdwara Dashmesh Pita Sahib Ji, Karte Parwan, Kabul, local reports say. Afghanistan's Interior Ministry spokesperson Abdul Nafi Takour told local news agencies that the two people who died were a Sikh devotee and an Afghan guard.

There are several devotees in the Gurdwara, sources said, adding that some managed to escape and have been sent to a hospital nearby. However the overall number of casualties inside the Gurdwara are not known yet, they said.

At least two explosions were heard at a busy street near the Gurdwara in Kabul's Karte Parwan area at around 7 am local time (Kabul). The area is densely populated and is the centre for the Afghan Hindu and Sikh communities.

BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa told news agency ANI that three people have managed to come out of the Gurdwara, two of whom have been taken to the hospital. The guard of the Gurdwara was shot dead, he added.

As per info so far, 3 people have come out (of the Gurudwara) - 2 of them sent to hospital. Guard of the Gurudwara - a Muslim - died of bullets. 7-8 people are still believed to be trapped inside but numbers are not confirmed. Firing is still going on: Manjinder Singh Sirsa, BJP pic.twitter.com/qlQ38icfXS

— ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2022

"We are deeply concerned at the reports emanating from Kabul about an attack on a sacred Gurudwara in the city. We are closely monitoring the situation and waiting for further details on the unfolding developments," the Ministry of External Affairs said.

"The cowardly attack on Gurdwara Karte Parwan should be condemned in the strongest terms by all. We have been closely monitoring developments since the news of the attack was received. Our first and foremost concern is for the welfare of the community," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted.

The cowardly attack on Gurudwara Karte Parwan should be condemned in the strongest terms by all.

We have been closely monitoring developments since the news of the attack was received. Our first and foremost concern is for the welfare of the community. https://t.co/ocfuY0RBhN

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 18, 2022

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Recent Attacks In Afghanistan

On June 11, several people were injured after a blast hit Kabul. "The blast took place at Batkhak Square in the 10th district of Kabul," Tolo News had said in a Tweet.

"Earlier, on Monday, a blast took place in Kabul's Police District-4 with explosives carried on a bicycle," the Kabul security department had said.

Prior to this, three explosions had rocked the capital of Afghanistan's Balkh province on May 25, leaving at least 9 people killed and 15 others injured. On the same day, a blast at Masjid Sharif Hazrat Zakaria mosque in Kabul city left at least two people dead, according to officials.

In response to the attacks in Balkh and Kabul, the US Special Envoy for Women and Human Rights in Afghanistan, Rina Amiri said that the Taliban must ensure people's security and prevent atrocities.

"The heinous attacks in Mazar & Kabul serve no purpose but to inflict further devastation on innocent Afghans who have suffered enough," Rina Amiri had tweeted.

In another explosion at a traffic square in Kabul's fourth police district had killed at least 30 people and injured others at the Hazrat Zekriya Mosque.

The Taliban faced a severe security threat from the Khorasan branch of ISIS, which has been active in Afghanistan since 2014.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had condemned the recent attacks in Afghanistan that claimed the lives of numerous civilians, among them members of the Hazara Shia community and several children."

(Inputs from ANI)