New York: Thousands of Indian Americans held candlelight vigils on 29 August to honor the 13 US soldiers killed in last week’s suicide bombing near the Kabul airport in Afghanistan.
#Indian-Americans against Terror was trending on the Internet during and after the vigils held in at least 25 cities including Washington DC, NYC, San Francisco, LA, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, Dallas, and Chicago. Participating in this nationwide commemoration were local council members, representatives of Congress members, veterans and members of the Afghan community.
In Houston, Dr. Surinder Kaul and Achalesh Amar, national coordinators of the event, said that the “will of the terrorists is not greater than the will of the good people of India, America, Israel and, indeed, the world. That’s why we will continue to stand united by our shared values and commitment to defeat terrorism.”
At the DC vigil, community leader Adapa Prasad and others stated, “The whole world denounces the cowardly ISIS attack on US marines who were peacefully overseeing evacuati
In New York, events were held at four locations including Times Square, where prominent community members Mukesh Modi and Krishna Reddy said, “We come together to send a message of healing and of unity. We mourn those brave lives lost in Kabul. We must defeat terrorism.”
Special prayer meetings were held in Fremont Hindu Temple and Gayatri Chetna Center in New Jersey for the victims.
More vigils and protests are scheduled in the lead up to the 20th anniversary of 9-11 terror attacks on America.
