In yet another attack on Indians in Afghanistan on Friday, Taliban terrorists targeted hotels, killing six Indians associated with developmental work in the country, including two Major rank army officers.
At least 10 others, including five Indian Army officers, were injured in a coordinated strike that killed 11 others, including locals and nationals from other countries.
The bombers, believed to be three in number, struck at the guesthouses, particularly at Park Residence, rented out by the Indian embassy for its staffers and those linked to India's developmental work in Afghanistan.
The deceased Indians were identified as Major Dr Laishram Jyotin Singh of Army Medical Corps, Major Deepak Yadav of Army Education Corps, engineer Bhola Ram, tabla player Nawab Khan, staffer of Kandahar Consulate Nitish Chibber and ITBP constable Roshan Lal, Indian embassy sources said.
Earlier, the government of India had put the number of those dead at nine, which highly placed sources said was incorrect as it was based on preliminary assessment of the Afghan interior ministry.
Jyotin Singh was in Afghanistan to train local doctors at the Indira Gandhi hospital while Deepak Yadav was teaching English at the Afghan Military Academy.
Nawab Khan, who was killed in the attack on Park Residence, was part of the three-member cultural troupe, which was sent by Indian Council for Cultural Relations to Afghanistan.
Bhola Ram was project director at Afghan Power Grid Corporation and was instrumental in bringing electricity to Kabul from Uzbekistan, sources said.
The project had been completed and Bhola Ram was in the process of handing over the responsibilities to Afghans for which they were being trained.
Indo-Tibetan Border Police constable Roshan Lal, 35, a resident of Himachal Pradesh was deployed as the security personnel at the Indian Consulate in Herat. He was on leave and in transit on his way back home.
Chibber was secretary at the Indian Consulate in Kandahar.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in telephone calls made to some foreign news wires.
The terrorists targeted those Indians who were engaged in helping Afghan people and building partnership between the two countries, Indian Ambassador Jayant Prasad said.
"It is the handiwork of enemies of Afghan people and friendship between people of India and Afghanistan," Prasad said.
0 comments:
Post a Comment