KABUL (SW) – An explosion has rocked a Sikh temple in Kabul, as a rising tide of religious violence once more threatens the Afghan capital.
Sources told Salam Watandar that the sound of two explosions, gunshots were heard at the scene. Sources did not provide further details.
It is said that some of the attackers entered the facility.
The exact nature of these explosions and the resulting casualties are not yet known.
No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the blasts.
“There were around 30 people inside the temple. We don’t know how many of them are alive or how many dead,” Gornam Singh, told Reuters.
“The Taliban are not allowing us to go inside, we don’t know what to do.”
Local broadcaster Tolo aired footage showing heavy grey plumes of smoke rising from the area.
Taliban officials have not confirmed the explosion, and it was not immediately clear who was behind the blast.
Afghanistan’s rulers say they have secured the country since taking power in August, but international officials and analysts say the risk of a resurgence in militancy remains.
Multiple attacks have taken place in recent months, with some claimed by the Islamic State militant group.
Sikhs are a tiny religious minority in largely Muslim Afghanistan, comprising around 300 family members before the fall of the country to the Taliban.
The Sikh community, like other religious minorities, has been the continual target of violence in Afghanistan.
An attack claimed by the Islamic State at another temple in Kabul in 2020 killed 25.
Saturday’s explosion follows a blast on Friday in the northern city of Kunduz at a mosque that killed one and injured two, according to authorities.
ENDS
