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A6 WORLD NEWS
Monday 20 June 2022
IS claims attack on Sikh temple in Afghan capital of Kabul

By RAHIM FAIEZ said one Sikh was killed and
Associated Press seven others were wound-
ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Is- ed in the attack and a
lamic State group claimed Taliban security force was
responsibility for an attack killed during the rescue op-
on a Sikh temple in Afghan- eration. It was unclear how
istan’s capital of Kabul that many IS militants were in-
killed at least one worship- volved or how many were
per and wounded seven killed in the gunbattle with
others. the Taliban.
IS made the claim in a Earlier this month, Indian
statement posted on its officials held talks with the
Amaq website late Satur- Taliban in Kabul for the first
day. It said the assault on time since the group took
“the Sikh and Hindu tem- control of the country last
ple” was in response to al- year on the distribution of
leged insults made against humanitarian aid. The In-
the Prophet Muhammad, dian delegation was led by
the central figure of the Is- J.P. Singh, a secretary in the
lamic religion, by an Indian External Affairs Ministry.
government official. It did It wasn’t immediately clear
not name the official. whether J.P. Singh was the
Gunmen attacked the Sikh “Hindu” the IS referred to
house of worship, known Taliban fighters gather at the site of an explosion in front of a Sikh temple in Kabul, Afghanistan, in its statement or what
as a gurdwara, Saturday Saturday, June 18, 2022. Several explosions and gunfire ripped through a Sikh temple in comments he might have
Afghanistan’s capital.
morning and a firefight be- Associated Press made that provoked the IS
tween the attackers and attack. It was also unclear
Taliban fighters seeking to after killing the guard and States, said the gurdwara urgently-needed efforts to why the extremist organi-
protect the building en- then targeted the people was significantly damaged protect and safely resettle zation would target a Sikh
sued, Afghan officials said. inside with machine-gun by the attack. all Afghan Sikhs and Hin- temple in retaliation for
A vehicle filled with explo- fire and hand grenades. IS “The recurring tragic vio- dus.” comments made by an In-
sives was detonated out- fighters outside the temple lence targeting the Afghan Videos posted on social dian official.
side of the temple but that detonated four explosive Sikh community is devas- media showed plumes of Narendra Modi, India’s
resulted in no casualties. devices and a car bomb tating, but also entirely black smoke rising from the prime minister, tweeted
Before that, the gunmen targeting patrols of Taliban predictable and prevent- temple in Kabul’s Bagh-e late Saturday: “Shocked
threw a hand grenade militia who tried to protect able,” said Anisha Singh, Bala neighborhood and by the cowardly terrorist at-
which caused a fire near the temple. The battle end- the group’s executive di- gunfire could be heard. tack against the Karte Par-
the temple’s gate, the of- ed after three hours, the rector, in a statement late Kabul police said the gun- wan Gurudwara in Kabul.
ficials said Amaq report said. Saturday. “The internation- fight with the militants end- Modi added, “I condemn
The IS said Abu Mohammed The Sikh Coalition, the larg- al community, and in par- ed after the last attacker this barbaric attack, and
al-Tajiki, a member of the est Sikh civil rights organi- ticular the United States, was killed several hours af- pray for the safety and well-
group, stormed the temple zation based in the United continues to fall short of ter the assault began. They being of the devotees”q

EU: Turkish Cypriots must curb migrants

arrivals to Cyprus

sider itself neutral in what rous U.N.-controlled buffer patible with EU law since
is going on,” Schinas said zone to seek asylum in the the 180-kilometer-long
after visiting upgraded fa- Greek Cypriot south where (120-mile-long) area isn’t a
cilities at the Pournara mi- the internationally recog- formal border, Schinas said.
grant reception camp out- nized government is seat- Cyprus Interior Minister Nic-
side the capital. “They must ed. os Nouris said the number
also assume their share of Although Turkish Cypriots of asylum-seekers doubled
responsibility and we’ll find receive EU funding, only to 10,000 in the first five
a way to remind them.” the south enjoys full mem- months of this year com-
Cyprus was split along eth- bership benefits. pared to the same period
Migrants walk near the Pournara Emergency Reception center, nic lines in 1974 when Tur- Schinas said EU Commis- in 2021, repeating that they
in Kokkinotrimithia, on the outskirts of the capital Nicosia, key invaded following a sioner Elisa Ferreira will hold make up an EU high of 5%
Cyprus, April 18, 2022. coup aimed at union with contacts in Cyprus in July to of Cyprus’ 915,000-strong
Associated Press
Greece. Only Turkey recog- explore ways of best han- population in the south.
By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS has shot up significantly so nizes a Turkish Cypriot dec- dling the issue. He also said He said that Cypriot author-
Associated Press far this year. laration of independence. Turkey has demonstrated a ities are working with the
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — European Commission Vice Cypriot government au- willingness to help ease the EU to facilitate the return
Breakaway Turkish Cypriots President Margharitis Schi- thorities say the overwhelm- number of migrants arriving of asylum-seekers whose
on ethnically-divided Cy- nas said that Turkish Cypriot ing majority of migrant ar- in Cyprus. claims have been rejected
prus must do their share in authorities should also be rivals occurs via Turkey and The EU will also help Cypriot as well as more funding
stemming migrant arrivals, held accountable for curb- the Turkish Cypriot north authorities bolster monitor- from the 27 member-nation
a senior European Union of- ing migrant arrivals. through a loosely regulated ing and surveillance of the bloc to the tune of 72 mil-
ficial said Saturday, as the “We won’t let the Turkish student visa system. buffer zone to deter cross- lion euros to build a new mi-
number of asylum-seekers Cypriot community to con- Thousands then cross a po- ings in a way that is com- grant reception center.q