KABUL
\nDaesh claimed responsibility for an attack on a Sikh temple in Afghanistan that killed one community member and a Taliban fighter, saying it was retaliation for insults against Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).
\nProtests in several Muslim countries were sparked by a spokeswoman for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s Hindu-nationalist party blasphemous comments earlier this month.
\nIn a message posted on its Amaq propaganda site, the militant group said Saturday\u2019s attack targeted Hindus and Sikhs and the \u201capostates\u201d who protected them in \u201can act of support for the Messenger of Allah\u201d.
\nDaesh said one of its fighters \u201cpenetrated a temple for Hindu and Sikh polytheists in Kabul, after killing its guard, and opened fire on the pagans inside with his machine gun and hand grenades\u201d.
\nTwo were killed and at least seven others wounded in the raid.
\nInterior Ministry spokesman Abdul Nafi Takor said the attackers lobbed at least one grenade when they entered the temple, setting off a blaze.
\nThe attack follows a visit by an Indian delegation to Kabul to discuss the distribution of humanitarian aid from India to Afghanistan.
\nAfghan and Indian media reports said the delegation discussed with Taliban officials the possibility of reopening the Indian embassy, which shut after the group seized power in August last year.
\nThe number of bombings across Afghanistan has dropped since the Taliban returned to power, but several attacks \u2014 many targeting minority communities \u2014 have rocked the country in recent months, including several claimed by Daesh.
\nThe number of Sikhs living in Afghanistan has dwindled to around 200, compared to about half a million in the 1970s.
\nMost of those who remain are traders involved in selling herbal medicines and electronic goods brought from India.
\nIn recent months, many impoverished Sikhs including women and children took refuge in the complex that was attacked on Saturday.
\nThe community has faced repeated attacks over the years. At least 25 people were killed in March 2020 when gunmen stormed another Sikh temple in Kabul in an attack that was also claimed by Daesh.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KABUL Daesh claimed responsibility for an attack on a Sikh temple in Afghanistan that killed one community member and a Taliban fighter, saying it was retaliation for insults against Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). Protests in several Muslim countries were sparked by a spokeswoman for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s Hindu-nationalist party blasphemous comments earlier this month. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":266994,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6],"tags":[189,8699,1814,8661],"class_list":{"0":"post-266960","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-attack","9":"tag-daesh","10":"tag-kabul","11":"tag-sikh-temple"},"yoast_head":"\n