20 US senators have urged US president Donald Trump to grant emergency refugee protection to the Sikh and Hindu communities living in Afghanistan, citing threats made against them by Daesh.

Two weeks have passed since a Sikh was abducted in Paktia province in southeast Afghanistan, but no one knows of his whereabouts so far.

Sikh and Hindu elders in Afghanistan have accused the Afghan government for failing to secure the Sikh and Hindu communities in the country.

Back in March, at least 25 people were killed and more than eight others were wounded during an attack on a Sikh place of worship in the Shorbazar area of Kabul

“In the past there was a lot (presence of Sikhs and Hindus), but most of them left this area and sold their businesses, there is possibility that most of them have left the country after the quarantine,” said Wais, a resident in Shorbazar.

“After the attack, the Sikhs and Hindus rarely appear here,” said Mohammad, a resident in Shorbazar.

“If the government fails to protect us and provide us with security and give us our rights, perhaps we will leave the country,” said Narendra Singh Khalsa, a Sikh member of Afghan parliament.

“The Ministry of Interior is responsible to maintain security of every citizen of the country, there is more concentration on the security of our Sikh and Hindu citizens,” said Tariq Aryan, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior.

In a bipartisan letter addressed to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the US senators have called on the Trump administration to prioritize resettlement opportunities to the Afghan Sikh and Hindu minorities.

 “Sikh and Hindu communities in Afghanistan face an existential threat from ISIS-K because of their religion. To protect religious freedom, we urgently ask that you take these essential steps to defend these threatened religious minorities,” said the letter.

 The The Sikh and Hindu communities once numbered around 250,000 people but now have fewer than 1,000 individuals due to decades of persecution.