NEW DELHI, INDIA, September 20, 2001: The tiny Sikh and Hindu communities in Afghanistan face an uncertain future as the U.S. appears ready to launch military strikes in that country. According to representatives of the Afghan Sikh refugee community in the Indian capital, most of their relatives in Afghanistan had left their home and were living in four gurdwaras in and around Kabul. The refugees say there are some 2,000 Sikh families still in Afghanistan. The Hindu community, numbering in the dozens, was already under pressure after the ruling Taliban militia ordered dress codes for its members as a mark of identification. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 3,220 Hindus fled Afghanistan prior to the present emergency.
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