The two belonged to Kerala and arrangements were being made to bring back their bodies, the sources said. Source Reuters The two belonged to Kerala and arrangements were being made to bring back their bodies, the sources said. Source Reuters

A day after a Taliban suicide bomber killed five foreign guards in Kabul, it has emerged that two of the victims were Indian nationals. Both were employed as security guards with American company DynCorp in the Afghan capital, official sources confirmed on Wednesday.

The two belonged to Kerala and arrangements were being made to bring back their bodies, the sources said. They were identified as Ponnappan, 52, from Kaduthuruthy village in Kottayam district, and Raveendran from Kozhikode.

Ponnappan’s family was intimated about his death by his colleagues late on Tuesday.

Ponnappan joined the American company and went to Afghanistan last year after retiring from the Indian Air Force. He had come home to Kerala on leave recently to attend the wedding of a close relative and returned to Afghanistan only a week ago. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Ponnappan and Raveendran were on duty when the Taliban suicide attacker riding a motorcycle struck a compound near the outer perimeter of Kabul airport. The Taliban later used a recognised Twitter account to claim responsibility for the attack.

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