US criticises recents attack on Sikhs in Kabul

|HT|

The United States on Tuesday condemned the recent attacks in Afghanistan that resulted in civilian casualties, including the attack on a Sikh temple in Kabul last week. Several blasts tore through Gurdwara Karte Parwan in Kabul’s Bagh-e-Bala neighbourhood on Saturday, killing two persons, including a Sikh. The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for the attack, calling it “an act of support” for the Prophet. “We have condemned the recent attacks that have killed and harmed civilians in Afghanistan. This includes the cowardly attack that we saw this weekend against the Sikh community in Kabul that claimed innocent lives including the life of a Sikh worshiper,” US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said during a press briefing.

“This is part of what can only be described as a concerning trend against members of religious minority groups in Afghanistan,” he said, adding that terrorists are striking at the heart of the country’s pluralistic identity by attacking Hindus and Sikhs. “Those perpetrators must be held accountable,” he added.

A day earlier, US Special Envoy Rina Amiri had raised concerns about the escalating attacks against Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan. “Deeply concerned about the escalating attacks against Afghanistan’s Hindus & Sikhs. Afghanistan’s rich diversity is its greatest treasure. A threat against one group is a threat to the identity of Afghanistan as a whole,” Amiri had shared on Twitter. Even India on Monday had condemned the “cowardly attack” at the gurdwara, while asking all UN member states not to be selective and combat hatred against non-Abrahamic religions as well.

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