KABUL: The attack at a Gurdwara here, in which 25 pilgrims lost their lives was carried out by an Kerala born Jihadist named Abdul Khayum.
According to details Abdul Khayum aka Abu Khalid was an one-time resident of Chekkikulam in Kerala’s Kannur district. He had been sought by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) since 2017 for his alleged role in a number of terrorist plots.
IS claiming the attack stated it was to avenge the atrocities against Indian Muslims. The UN Security Council terming the attack as heinous and cowardly stressed on the need to hold the perpetrators and sponsors of these “reprehensible” acts to justice.
Eight worshipers also got wounded when a heavily armed suicide bomber stormed a Gurdwara here on Wednesday 25th of March.
It is pertinent to mention here that IS fighters had moved from ME to Kunar and Nangarhar. According to a UN report some 2,500 to 4,000 IS fighters are operating from Afghanistan.
According to reports 100 fighters migrated from Kerala since May-June, 2016, to join the Islamic State’s‘Khorasan Province’ in Nangarhar: 30 went directly from Kerala and 70 joined from Gulf with their families.
A relevant piece published earlier:
Pakistan condemned attack on Sikh temple in Kabul
KABUL: Pakistan has strongly condemned the attack carried out on Sikh temple here on Wednesday (25th of March, 2020) that claimed 25 lives.
According to details a gunman, attired in police outfit shot the guard while entering the temple. Once in the main hall he opened fire at worshipers. Later, people were targeted in different rooms. Security gunned the militant down and released the 80 hostages he had taken.
Anarkali Kaur Honaryar, a Sikh member of the Afghan parliament, while commenting on the attack informed that there were some 150 worshipers in the temple at the time of the attack. Later a bomb was detonated causing a small explosion near the crematorium meant to disrupt the funeral services for the 25 worshipers who were killed yesterday.
It is pertinent to point out here that only a few thousand Sikhs and Hindus reside in Afghanistan and IS has a history of targeting them. It may be recalled that back in July 2018 nineteen people got killed as a result of a suicide bombing in Jalalabad.
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