India concerned over attack in Gurudwara in Kabul
Kabul/New York/New Delhi: Very high casualty is feared in an attack believed to be by a suicide bomber on October 8, 2021 in a Shia Mosque in Kunduz in northern Afghanistan. The Islamic State (IS) militant group has reportedly taken responsibility for the mosque bomb blast.
The UN Mission in Afghanistan today said that initial information indicates that more than 100 people were killed and dozens injured in the suicide blast inside the mosque.
The Mission noted that the attack was part of a disturbing pattern of violence, which is the third deadly attack this week apparently targeting religious institutions.
UN Secretary‑General António Guterres stated in New York that attacks that deliberately target civilians exercising the right to freely practice their religion are violations of fundamental human rights and international humanitarian law. While condemning the “barbaric attack”, he demanded that the perpetrators must be brought to justice.
Earlier this week a Sikh Gurudwara Karte Parwan was also vandalised in Kabul by heavily armed suspected Taliban fighters who also took the people there in their custody on October 5, the day when Taliban leader Anas Haqqani, younger brother of Taliban’s new Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, paid a visit to the tomb of the 10th Century invader of India, Mahmud Ghaznavi, and praised him for smashing the idol of Somnath.
It may be mentioned that Anas along with his brother Sirajuddin and uncle Khalil Haqqani are global terrorists who are part of jihad group Haqqani network. The U.S. government listed Sirajuddin as a specially designated global terrorist, offering a reward of up to $10 million on his head. The U.S. Treasury Department designated Khalil as a terrorist in 2011, and the U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice Program offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his capture and prosecution.
Earlier, the Taliban had also removed the Sikh holy flag from the roof of a Gurdwara in the Chamkani area of eastern Paktia province which was once visited by Guru Nanak.
In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, said on October 7, 2021 that the Government of India was concerned about the statement on Somnath and the attack on Gurudwara.
– global bihari bureau
