Details coming out after recent attack at a Gurdwara in Kabul reveal that Indian nationals were involved in the deadly raid which left at least 25 people killed and eight other wounded.
Gunmen and suicide bombers had raided a Sikh religious complex in Kabul on Wednesday, killing 25 people before security forces killed all of the attackers. The Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan had claimed responsibility for the attack on the group’s Amaq media arm, according to SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks militant postings and groups. One of the gunmen was identified as Abu Khalid al-Hindi, an Indian national, not Kashmiri as being rumored. The Amaq News Agency, affiliated with the terror group, also released the photo of the suicide bomber who stormed the Sikh temple. The terror group also issued a brief statement claiming that the Sikh minority group was the target of the attack, saying it was revenge for India’s treatment of Muslims in occupied valley of Kashmir.
However, minutes after the news of the IS claiming responsibility of the attack appeared, hundreds of Kashmiri users flooded the internet with strong denunciations. “We Kashmiris strongly condemn such atrocities. Killing innocents in no way supports our struggle for existence,” wrote Munir Mufti, a Kashmiri user. “High time such people are identified and neutralised for centuries to come.”
Another user noted, “It was Sikhs who stood for the Kashmiri Muslims after Pulwama attack,” referring to the instances where Sikh volunteers had come to the aid of Kashmiri Muslims last year, when they faced evictions from landlords across the country and were also subjected to violence. As a means to reciprocate the generosity, Kashmiri Muslims had responded with offers of free bike rides, free medical check-ups, free hostel accommodations and even free admission in tuition centres. By Thursday afternoon, the Kashmiri users were seen trending #NotInMyName on Twitter. The revelation of the name of one of the attackers and his nationality has foiled another plot of New Delhi, which once again had impulsively tried to implicate Pakistan in the gory act.
