Kabul: Indians were the prime target in Friday's suicide attack carried out by Taliban terrorists in Kabul in which 17 people including six Indians were killed.
Two officers of the Indian Army were among those killed. Five other Army officers were also injured in the attack.
Indian Ambassador in Kabul Jayant Prasad said that it looked like a 26/11 type attack specifically targeting Indians.
"Six Indians died in yesterday's (Friday) attack. It was a 26/11 type of attack. The attackers searched each and every room and killed people," said Prasad.
Government sources in New Delhi said that it was too early to determine who masterminded the attack even though it was carried out by The Taliban.
External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said Friday's attack was the third direct attack on Indians in Kabul.
Pakistani intelligence agency the ISI was linked to the bombing at the Indian Embassy in Kabul in 2008.
Indians killed in the attack have been 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 Indo Tibetan Border Police constable Roshan Lal
Khan, who was killed in the attack on the guest house known as 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.
ITBP 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.
UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon, too, has condemned the attack.
"This deliberate targeting of civilians demonstrates once again a senseless disregard for human life on the part of the perpetrators," said Ban.
An Indian Air Force plane has been sent to Kabul to bring home the bodies of the Indians killed in the attack. The Boeing 737-200 aircraft from the Palam-based Communication Squadron is also carrying a team of medical officers, medicines, a team of Army officers and officials from the Ministry of External Affairs.
The attack took place in an area called Shari Nal, an upscale place with many luxury hotels.
The target of the attack, Park Residence, has been rented out by the Indian Embassy for its staffers and those linked to India's developmental work in Afghanistan.
The attack started when a suicide bomber exploded ac car bomb across the street some 60 meters away from the guest house. Then one of the suicide bombers went inside the guest house and started killing people.
The Taliban have already claimed responsibility for the attack with the terror group's Haqqani faction spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirming that foreigners were the target.
There are approximately 4,000 Indian security personnel in Afghanistan. India has committed more than $1.2 billion to development projects and Indians working are mainly involved in the construction of roads, bridges and power transmission lines.
India has also been helping train Afghan police personnel and medical personnel.
(With inputs from CNN-IBN and PTI)
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