Afghan security personnel and journalists inspect the attack site in Kabul. (Credits: AP)
KABUL: A lone Islamic State gunman rampaged through a Sikh house of worship in the heart of the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Wednesday, killing 25 worshipers and wounding eight, Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry said.
The gunman held many of the worshipers hostage for several hours as Afghan special forces, helped by international troops, tried to clear the building. At least one of the dead was a child.
Within hours, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.
As the siege ended, the Afghan special forces rescued at least 80 worshipers who had been trapped inside the Sikh house of worship, known as Gurdwara, as the gunman lobbed grenades and fired his automatic rifle into the crowd, the ministry said.
Earlier, Afghan lawmaker Narindra Singh Khalsa said he rushed over to help after receiving a call from a worshiper inside the Gurdwara telling him of the attack. There were about 150 people inside the Gurdwara at the time, he added.
The SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks militant postings and groups, said IS had claimed responsibility for the attack on the