Kabul gurdwara suicide attacker was IS recruit from Kerala's Kannur district: reports

A man from Kerala’s Kannur district is said to be one of the terrorists who attacked a gurdwara in Kabul on 25th March and killed 25 Sikh worshippers.

According to the official, at least three terrorist of the Islamic State had stormed the gurdwara. All were killed by Afghan security forces. “We know that at least one of them is an Indian, and the identity of the other two is being ascertained,” the official said.

The attacker was identified as Abu Khalid Al-Hindi by Al Naba, the ISKP’s propaganda wing. They published an image of the Indian attacker. The other aliases were Abdul Khayoom and Abdul Khalid.

The officials stated that the person was identified as Mohsin from Kerala’s Kasaragod. He was 29 years old and a school dropout. His family has moved to Kannur. He left for United Arab Emirates more then two years ago.

His family had never made a complaint to the police, a senior government official said.

“His family never reported to the police or filed any complaint... They claim he was not in touch with them all these years... We are ascertaining the entire chain of events,” the official said.

As per the official the attacker’s movement to Afghanistan was not definite yet. “We know that he left home more than two years ago under the pretext that he was going to the UAE. After that, when and how he reached Afghanistan to join the ISKP [Islamic State in Khorasan Province] is not known. The investigation is on,” the official said. There is no police case against Mohsin yet.

The official also verified that he was not among the group of 21 men and women from Kerala that had left India in 2016 to join Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP).

The official also went on to elucidated that another engineering student from Kerala also named Mushin was killed in a drone attack in Afghanistan in 2019. His family had filed a complaint at the Changaramkulam police station in October 2017 saying that he was missing. He had gone to Dubai in 2017 andd was later sent to Afghanistan.

The United Nations Security Council also condemned “the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack”.

“The members of the Security Council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government of Afghanistan and they wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured. The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security,” the UNSC said.

The UNSC emphasized the need to hold perpetrators, financiers and sponsors of these despicable acts of terror and bring them to justice, and urged all States, according to their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolution, to work together with the government of Afghanistan an all other related authorities in this regard, UNSC stated.

Also Read: Kabul Gurudwara Attack: UN condemns terror attack in Afghanistan