A member of Afghanistan’s Sikh community has appealed to the worldwide community to abet provide protection to spiritual minorities within the country following an attack on the Karteparwan Gurudwara – a Sikh temple – in Kabul that left no longer no longer up to 2 dreary and three injured.
The Taliban said in a reveal that a automobile encumbered with explosives was as soon as performed with out from coming into the temple complex on Saturday and detonated earlier than it reached the intended target.
A spokesman for the commander of Kabul’s security forces said one Sikh worshipper was as soon as killed and a Taliban fighter also died at some point of an operation to clear the temple of attackers, consistent with data experiences.
Particulars of Saturday’s attack, along with images and movies of victims and survivors, had been shared with Al Jazeera by Sikh community members in Kabul and residing in exile out of the country.
Witnesses residing conclude to the temple said they heard and felt the influence of the broad blast, which was as soon as adopted by automatic gunfire as attackers entered the Gurudwara.
“I stay conclude to the Gurudwara and was as soon as fair preparing for the day after I felt the loud explosion. I own on no story earlier than felt the leisure so solid,” a Sikh resident of Kabul, who only wished to be identified as Anita, urged Al Jazeera.
Anita is one of the most many estimated 140 Hindus and Sikhs that also stay in Afghanistan; a community that as soon as numbered roughly 200,000 members in Afghanistan within the 1970s.
Years of non secular persecution and battle own forced many Afghan Hindus and Sikhs to flee the country, lowering their numbers to about 7,000 by 2016, and now to a mere 140 who own chosen to remain since the Taliban takeover of the country in August 2021.
In 2020, an attack by the ISIL (ISIS) armed community on a 400-yr-frail Gurudwara in Kabul left 25 dreary and triggered a brand recent exodus of Sikhs from the country.
‘Killed for our faith’
“Once extra, we are sharing the abominable data of every other attack on the Sikh community in Afghanistan,” said Charan Singh Khalsa, an Afghan Sikh and Hindu community chief now residing in exile however who maintains conclude connections to the community in Kabul.
Khalsa said there had been about 30 folks at some point of the Gurudwara when the attack took situation on Saturday and nearly all of them managed to secure away with few accidents.
“About eight folks had been caught inner; one amongst them was as soon as killed … while [the] leisure had been injured. We are ready for data on their situation. Please pray for his or her wellbeing,” he said, describing how gunmen stormed into the Gurudwara after a bomb exploded on the gate of the temple.
Sardar Savinder Singh Ghazneci, a devotee who lived on the Gurudwara, was as soon as among those killed along with a guard who was as soon as stationed on the gate, Khalsa said.
“Sardar Ghazneci was as soon as a devotee who volunteered on the Gurudwara and was as soon as residing there when the attack took situation. He was as soon as shot by a gunman that entered the Gurudwara after the fundamental explosion,” Khalsa said.
The victim’s whole family had migrated to India after the Taliban takeover closing yr fearing persecution from the armed community.
“He stayed back to provide protection to their industry and support the Gurudwara. His loss is felt tremendously by the community,” said Khalsa, who appealed to the worldwide community to connect in mind the injustices in opposition to Afghan Sikhs and Hindus.
“We had been in most cases targeted by diversified groups, killed for our faith and loyalty to Afghanistan. Why then, after so many assaults, the world stays mute to our plight?” he asked.
“I plead to worldwide locations, namely those who own Sikh and Hindu in their governments, cherish Canada, UK and India, please don’t ignore the misery of our brothers and sisters,” he said.
“There are special applications for Afghans in wretchedness, however none of them highlights the threats to our community. Why does the world ignore our difficulty?”
‘Things are getting worse’
There has been an uptick in assaults on Afghanistan’s spiritual minorities, along side on Hazara Shia Muslims, and Sufi Muslims. All these assaults had been claimed by the Islamic Jabber Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-Ok), the regional division of ISIL.
The target of Saturday’s attack, the Karteparwan Gurudwara, was as soon as the one operational Sikh temple in Kabul of the four Gurudwaras in Kabul, Anita urged Al Jazeera.
“Many of us had been residing at some point of the Gurudwara since the Taliban takeover to be conclude to the community. Even the Sardar [Ghazneci] who was as soon as killed lived there after his family left,” she said.
“The Taliban assured the Sikhs they won’t hurt us, folks felt safer residing together within the Gurudwara. Who would own imagined such an attack would happen all all over again?”
Most of Anita’s family own also migrated to India after losing relations to repeated assaults on Afghanistan’s Sikh and Hindu communities.
She, too, had notion to be leaving the country after the Taliban takeover closing yr.
“I had stayed back to computer screen after our residence, however issues are getting worse,” Anita said.
“I was as soon as alleged to pass to join my family in India, however I haven’t been in a attach to secure a visa,” she said, adding that the attack had now strengthened her unravel to recede her most in style place of origin – Afghanistan.
“We must in any appreciate times recede if we must in any appreciate times continue to exist,” she said, choking back tears.