An attack on a Sikh temple in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, killed at least two people and injured seven others on Saturday, according to officials, but there was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Images aired by domestic broadcaster Tolo showed grey smoke billowing over the area. According to a Taliban interior spokesman, attackers loaded a car with explosives, but it exploded before reaching its target.
He added that Taliban authorities were securing the site.
“There were about 30 people inside the temple,” said Gornam Singh, a temple official. “We have no idea how many of them are alive or dead.”
The temple authorities were at a loss for what to do because the Taliban refused to let them in, according to Singh.
According to a spokesman for Kabul’s commander, his forces took control of the area and cleared it of attackers. He added that one Sikh worshipper was killed in the attack and one Taliban fighter was killed during the clearing operation.
The Taliban claim to have secured Afghanistan since taking power in August, but international officials and analysts say the risk of a resurgence of militancy remains.
The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for some recent attacks.
Sikhs were a tiny religious minority in largely Muslim Afghanistan, numbering only about 300 families before the Taliban took over. However, many people left after that, according to community members and the media.
