Gunmen storm Sikh religious complex "Gurdawara" in Kabul, 25 kiiled,10 injured

Afghan forces have killed gunmen who attacked a Sikh religious complex in the capital, Kabul, ending an hours-long siege that killed 25 people, the Ministry of Interior has said.

The attack on Wednesday was claimed by the ISIL (ISIS) armed group. Earlier, the Taliban armed group denied it was behind the siege that left at least eight others wounded. Witness Raju Singh Sonny told AFP that a man dressed in a police uniform burst into the temple in central Kabul, shot a guard and started attacking worshippers in the main hall.

"Several other attackers also entered the building and they were going from room to room shooting people," Sonny said.

Later in the day, interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said in a message to journalists the operation by the security forces had concluded and all attackers were killed.

Security forces cordoned off the area, located in old Kabul, after gunmen stormed the complex, the government said.

Narindra Singh Khalsa, a parliamentarian from the minority Sikh community, told AP news agency he had been near the Gurdwara - the Sikh place of worship - when the attack happened and ran to the site.

Those killed included a child whose body was brought to a Kabul hospital, emergency services and the hospital said.

Sound of explosions

At a Kabul hospital, Mohan Singh, who was in the Gurdwara at the time of the attack, told AP he first heard the sound of gunshots and dove for cover under a table. Later, he heard the sound of explosions, adding that he believes they were hand grenades. He was injured when parts of the ceiling fell on him.

In photographs shared by the interior ministry, about a dozen children were seen being rushed out of the Gurdwara by Afghan special forces, many of them barefoot and crying.

Khalsa later told Reuters News Agency that many people were still inside the building. "The gunmen started their attack at a time when the Dharamsala was full of worshippers," he said, referring to a sanctuary area in the temple compound.

The SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks activities by armed groups, said ISIL had claimed responsibility for the attack on its Aamaq media arm.

Earlier this month, an affiliate of ISIL attacked a gathering of minority Shia Muslims in Kabul, killing 32 people.

Sikhs in Afghanistan

The attack comes a day after the US said it would cut its aid to the Afghan government by $1bn over frustrations that feuding political leaders could not reach an agreement and form a team to negotiate with the Taliban.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Kabul on Tuesday in a bid to resolve a standoff between President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah, who also proclaimed himself president following a contested election.

The US and the Taliban signed a deal last month that was supposed to pave the way for talks between the Afghan leadership and the rebels, but with Kabul unable to agree on who is in government, the talks have stalled.

Sikhs, who number fewer than 300 families, have suffered widespread discrimination in the country and have also been targeted by armed groups.

In 2018, a suicide bombing targeting the Sikh community and claimed by ISIL killed more than a dozen people in the eastern city of Jalalabad.

Under Taliban rule in the late 1990s, Sikhs were asked to identify themselves by wearing yellow armbands, but the rule was not enforced.

In recent years, large numbers of Sikhs and Hindus have sought asylum in India, which has a Hindu majority and a large Sikh population.

Unidentified gunmen and suicide bombers attacked a Sikh religious complex in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Wednesday, and up to 200 people were believed to be trapped inside, a member of parliament said.25 killed and 10 other injured

Unidentified armed men attacked a Sikh temple in central Kabul on Wednesday, killing at least 25 and wounding 10 others,  the Aghan media reported.

Four suicide attackers were also killed in the operation against them, said Afghan National Army Commando Corps' official.

The attack comes as Afghanistan is facing myriad crises including a raging insurgency, political deadlock, a massive cut in US aid, a flailing peace process and rising coronavirus cases.

"At around 7:45 am (0315 GMT), a number of attackers entered a Hindu-Sikh temple," interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian told AFP.

"People are stuck inside the building and (security forces) are trying to rescue them."

The Taliban denied any involvement in the attack. While no other group immediately claimed responsibility, Islamic State jihadists frequently orchestrate assaults on the country's religious minorities.

"There are about 150 people inside the temple. Families are living there and they usually gather to offer prayers in the mornings," said Anarkali Kaur Honaryar, a Sikh member of the Afghan parliament.

"Some people inside the temple are hiding and their phones are off. I am very concerned."

Around 1,000 Sikhs and Hindus are estimated to reside in  Afghanistan.

Earlier this month, militants killed 32 people and wounded dozens more in an attack at a political gathering in Kabul.

To add to the country’s woes, Washington slashed the amount of aid to the country this week.

The decision came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Kabul in a bid to resolve a standoff between President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah, who also is proclaiming himself president following a contested election.

Pompeo, who lashed out at their "failure" to come to an agreement, said the US would immediately cut $1 billion and was "prepared" to pull another $1 billion in 2021, with further cuts possible after that.

The US and the Taliban signed a deal last month that was supposed to pave the way for talks between the Afghan leadership and the insurgents, but with Kabul unable to agree who is in government, the talks have stalled.

With a GDP of only about $20 billion, the cuts represent a devastating blow to Afghanistan's donor-dependent economy.

Meanwhile, coronavirus is continuing to spread across Afghanistan. Officially there are 74 confirmed cases and two deaths, but many observers fear the number is far higher.

The impoverished country is testing few people, "social distancing" is an abstract concept for an illiterate population accustomed to crowding into mosques and large family gatherings, and thousands of people have returned from pilgrimages to coronavirus-hit Iran in recent weeks.Afghan security forces had blocked off the area and were taking on the attackers, Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said in a message to journalists.

It was not immediately clear how many attackers there were or who they were. It was not known if there were any casualties.

A Taliban spokesman, in a message on Twitter, denied responsibility for the attack.

Narender Singh Khalsa, a member of parliament who represents the tiny Sikh community, said he had reports that four people had been killed and up to 200 people trapped inside the temple in the early morning attack.

“Three suicide bombers entered a dharamsala,” he said, referring to a sanctuary area in a temple compound.

“The gunmen started their attack at a time when the dharamsala was full of worshippers,” he said. He said the Afghan security forces were clashing with the attackers.

The attack comes a day after the United States said it would cut its aid to the government by $1 billion over frustrations that feuding political leaders could not reach an agreement and form a team to negotiate with the Taliban.

The Interior Ministry spokesman said Afghan security forces had cleared one floor of the complex and were moving slowly to try and avoid civilian casualties.

In 2018, a suicide bombing targeting the Sikh community and claimed by the Islamic State militant group killed more than a dozen people in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad.

The United States last month struck a deal with the Taliban on the withdrawal of US-led international troops but the agreement does not include Islamic State militants.

ISIL claims responsibility

At a Kabul hospital, Mohan Singh, who was in the Gurdwara when the attack began, told AP he first heard the sound of gunshots and dove for cover under a table. Later, he heard the sound of explosions, adding that he believes they were hand grenades. He was injured when parts of the ceiling fell on him.

In photographs shared by the interior ministry, about a dozen children were seen being rushed out of the Gurdwara by Afghan special forces, many of them barefoot and crying.

Khalsa later told Reuters News Agency that many people were still inside the building. "The gunmen started their attack at a time when the Dharamsala was full of worshippers," he said, referring to a sanctuary area in the temple compound.

Another Sikh member of parliament said there were "about 150 people inside the temple".

"Some people inside the temple are hiding, and their phones are off. I am very concerned," Anarkali Kaur Honaryar told AFP news agency. 

The Taliban denied any involvement in the attack. But the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks activities by armed groups, said the ISIL (ISIS) armed group had claimed responsibility for the attack on its Aamaq media arm.

Earlier this month, an affiliate of the ISIL attacked a gathering of minority Shia Muslims in Kabul, killing 32 people.

Sikhs in Afghanistan

The attack comes a day after the US said it would cut its aid to the Afghan government by $1bn over frustrations that feuding political leaders could not reach an agreement and form a team to negotiate with the Taliban.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Kabul on Tuesday in a bid to resolve a standoff between President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah, who also proclaimed himself president following a contested election.

The US and the Taliban signed a deal last month that was supposed to pave the way for talks between the Afghan leadership and the rebels, but with Kabul unable to agree on who is in government, the talks have stalled.

Sikhs, who number fewer than 300 families, have suffered widespread discrimination in the country and have also been targeted by armed groups.

In 2018, a suicide bombing targeting the Sikh community and claimed by ISIL killed more than a dozen people in the eastern city of Jalalabad.

Under Taliban rule in the late 1990s, Sikhs were asked to identify themselves by wearing yellow armbands, but the rule was not enforced.

In recent years, large numbers of Sikhs and Hindus have sought asylum in India, which has a Hindu majority and a large Sikh population.