Seven dead, including Chinese national, in blast at Kabul hotel restaurant
The explosion targeted a hotel located in the commercial Shahr-e-Naw area, which houses major office buildings, shopping complexes and several diplomatic missions.
An explosion tore through a Chinese-run restaurant inside a hotel in one of Kabul’s most heavily guarded neighbourhoods on Monday, killing a Chinese national and six Afghans and injuring several others, including a child, Afghan officials said.
The blast struck a restaurant in the commercial Shahr-e-Naw area of Kabul, a district known for its office buildings, shopping complexes and embassies and widely regarded as one of the safest parts of the city.
“One Chinese national and six Afghans were killed in the explosion, which occurred near the kitchen,” police spokesperson Khalid Zadran said, adding that several others were wounded.
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The Afghan branch of Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out by a suicide bomber.
The restaurant was jointly run by a Chinese Muslim man, Abdul Majid, his wife and an Afghan partner, Abdul Jabbar Mahmood, and primarily served the Chinese Muslim community in Kabul, Zadran said.
Amaq, a news agency linked to Islamic State, said Chinese citizens had been placed on the group’s list of targets, citing what it described as “growing crimes by the Chinese government against Uyghurs.”
Rights groups have accused China of widespread abuses against Uyghurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic minority in the Xinjiang region. Beijing denies the allegations and says Western countries are spreading falsehoods.
Videos shared on social media showed debris strewn across the street and smoke pouring from a large hole blasted into the front of the restaurant.
“So far, we have received 20 people at our hospital,” said Dejan Panic, country director for humanitarian group EMERGENCY. “Among the wounded are four women and a child. Unfortunately, seven people were already dead on arrival.”
There was no immediate word on whether additional suspects were involved. Authorities said an investigation was underway.
An explosion tore through a Chinese-run restaurant inside a hotel in one of Kabul’s most heavily guarded neighbourhoods on Monday, killing a Chinese national and six Afghans and injuring several others, including a child, Afghan officials said.
The blast struck a restaurant in the commercial Shahr-e-Naw area of Kabul, a district known for its office buildings, shopping complexes and embassies and widely regarded as one of the safest parts of the city.
“One Chinese national and six Afghans were killed in the explosion, which occurred near the kitchen,” police spokesperson Khalid Zadran said, adding that several others were wounded.
.
The Afghan branch of Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out by a suicide bomber.
The restaurant was jointly run by a Chinese Muslim man, Abdul Majid, his wife and an Afghan partner, Abdul Jabbar Mahmood, and primarily served the Chinese Muslim community in Kabul, Zadran said.
Amaq, a news agency linked to Islamic State, said Chinese citizens had been placed on the group’s list of targets, citing what it described as “growing crimes by the Chinese government against Uyghurs.”
Rights groups have accused China of widespread abuses against Uyghurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic minority in the Xinjiang region. Beijing denies the allegations and says Western countries are spreading falsehoods.
Videos shared on social media showed debris strewn across the street and smoke pouring from a large hole blasted into the front of the restaurant.
“So far, we have received 20 people at our hospital,” said Dejan Panic, country director for humanitarian group EMERGENCY. “Among the wounded are four women and a child. Unfortunately, seven people were already dead on arrival.”
There was no immediate word on whether additional suspects were involved. Authorities said an investigation was underway.