An explosion hit the centre of the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on Sunday, 1 July, killing at least 19 people, including several members of the small Sikh minority, provincial government officials said.
The blast, hours after President Ashraf Ghani had opened a hospital in Jalalabad, damaged shops and buildings around Mukhaberat square in the city, said governor’s spokesperson Attaullah Khogyani.
A politician representing the minority Sikh community was killed in the blast. Officials said Awtar Singh Khalsa, who had planned to stand in October’s parliamentary elections, was dead.
Ghulam Sanayi Stanekzai, police chief of Nangarhar said the explosion was caused by a suicide bomber who targeted a vehicle carrying members of the Sikh minority who were travelling to meet the president.
1/2 We strongly condemn the henious and cowardly terrorist attack in #Jalalabad today evening which resulted in the death of 20 innocent Afghans, including 10 members of the Afghan Sikh Community, and injured more than 20 persons.
— India in Afghanistan (@IndianEmbKabul) July 1, 2018
2/2 We convey heartfelt condolences 2 d families of d victims & pray 4 early recovery of d injured.The attack again underlines d need 4 united global fight against international terrorism without discrimination & accountability of those who support terrorists in any manner
— India in Afghanistan (@IndianEmbKabul) July 1, 2018
Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh condemned the attack and wrote on Twitter, “Strongly condemn deadly attack by ISI on delegation of Sikhs & others on way to meet Afghan president. Let global community rise in one voice against barbaric forces of terror & vow to wipe out the menace from the world. My govt extends all help to the victims & their families.”
Strongly condemn deadly attack by ISI on delegation of Sikhs & others on way to meet Afghan president. Let global community rise in one voice against barbaric forces of terror & vow to wipe out the menace from the world. My govt extends all help to the victims & their families.
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) July 1, 2018
Afghanistan is an overwhelmingly Muslim nation but a small number of Hindus and Sikhs remain in the country.
Inaamullah Miakhel, a spokesperson for the provincial health department of Nangarhar, said 19 people had been killed and 20 wounded.
Officials said the casualty might have been even higher had much of the city not been blocked off for Ghani’s visit. He was not in the area when the blast occurred.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, the latest in a series to have hit Jalalabad, the provincial capital of Nangarhar, where Islamic State fighters have established a strong presence in recent years.
The attack underlined the fragile security situation in Afghanistan after last month’s brief ceasefire between government forces and the Taliban.
The three-day truce did not include Islamic State, which fights both government forces and the Taliban and which has shown no sign of letting up its campaign of violence.┬а(With inputs from Reuters)
