The extremist group ISIS has claimed responsibility for an attack on a Sikh temple in Afghanistan's capital on Saturday that killed one community member and a Taliban fighter.
In a post on Telegram, the Afghan branch of ISIS said the attack was in response to insults against the Prophet Mohammed — an apparent reference to remarks by officials of India's ruling party that have been condemned by many Muslim-majority countries.
The group said a suicide attacker stormed the temple on Saturday morning armed with a machine gun and hand grenades after killing its guard. It said other militants fought for more than three hours with Taliban fighters, who tried to intervene to protect the temple, attacking them with four explosive devices and a car bomb.
Taliban officials said one of their fighters and a Sikh worshipper were killed, while seven other people were injured.
The attack followed a visit last week by an Indian delegation to Kabul to discuss the distribution of humanitarian aid from India to Afghanistan.
Afghan and Indian media reports said the delegation discussed the possibility of reopening the Indian embassy, which was closed after the hardline Islamist militants seized power in August last year.
The number of bombings across Afghanistan has dropped since then, but several attacks — many of which have been against minority communities — have rocked the country in recent months, including several claimed by ISIS.
The UN's mission to Afghanistan called for protection for minorities in Afghanistan after Saturday's attack.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter that he was "shocked" by the attack, while neighbouring Pakistan said it was "seriously concerned at the recent spate of terrorist attacks on places of worship in Afghanistan".
Sikhs are a tiny religious minority in largely Muslim Afghanistan, comprising about 300 families before the country fell to the Taliban. Many have since left, according to members of the community.
Most of those who remain are traders involved in selling herbal medicines and electronic goods brought from India.
In recent months, many impoverished Sikhs, including women and children, have taken refuge in the complex that was attacked on Saturday.
Sikhs in Afghanistan have been repeatedly attacked over the years. At least 25 people were killed in March 2020 when gunmen stormed another Sikh temple in Kabul in an attack that was also claimed by ISIS.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Midnights'
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
