Congressman John Garamendi, who is the co-chair of the American Sikh Caucus and 25 others said the members of Sikh and Hindu communities are under an imminent threat from IS terrorists. US Congressmen urge Pompeo to relocate Sikh, Hindus under imminent danger from IS in Afghanistan

Washington DC: As many as 26 US Congressmen have urged Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, to take steps to ensure "safe and expeditious relocation" of Sikhs and Hindus trapped in war-torn Afghanistan.

The US senators also expressed concern for the safety of minorities in the country in a plea to the US State Department, apprising it of the dangers they face from Islamic State (IS) terrorists.

In a letter dated May 4, Congressman John Garamendi, who is the co-chair of the American Sikh Caucus, and 25 other senators said the members of the minority communities are under an imminent threat from IS terrorists there.

"We write to express our deep concern about the safety of the vulnerable Sikh religious minority in Afghanistan, which continues to be under grave threat from Islamic State terrorist attacks directed at Sikhs. Once a thriving community of nearly 250,000 people, the Sikh and Hindu community in Afghanistan has endured years of discrimination and violence from extremists, and the community is now estimated to comprise fewer than 100 families across the country," the letter read.

"As such, we urge you (Pompeo) to take all available steps to facilitate the safe and expeditious relocation of members of the Sikh and Hindu religious minorities in Afghanistan," the written plea stated.

The congressmen from Sikh Caucus urged Pompeo to consider referring the people from the minority communities in Afghanistan to the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) through Priority 1 embassy referrals.