A deadly explosion rocked a Chinese restaurant in the heart of Kabul, Afghanistan, killing at least seven people, including six Afghans and one Chinese national. The incident has prompted urgent demands from Beijing for the Taliban government to ensure the safety of its citizens in the country.
The blast occurred on Monday at the Chinese Noodle restaurant, located in a heavily guarded area of the capital’s Shahr-e-Naw district. According to officials, the explosion also left several more people injured, with four women and a child among the casualties.
The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that China was on their “list of targets” due to the country’s “increasing crimes against the oppressed Uyghur Muslims.” However, Kabul police have said the “nature of the explosion is unknown so far and is being investigated.”
In the aftermath, Beijing has made “urgent representations” with the Afghan authorities, demanding that they “spare no effort to treat the injured” and “further take effective measures to protect the safety of Chinese citizens.” China has also urged its citizens not to travel to Afghanistan, where the Taliban regained control in 2021.
The Chinese Noodle restaurant was reportedly run by a Chinese Muslim man from the Xinjiang region, along with his wife and an Afghan business partner. Dejan Panic, the Afghanistan director of the humanitarian group EMERGENCY, said they had received “20 people” at their hospital, with seven of them dead on arrival.
Footage of the aftermath showed a large hole in the side of the building, and eyewitnesses described a car outside the restaurant being completely destroyed. Local residents were said to have helped rush people in “critical condition” to the hospital.
This latest attack comes amid ongoing concerns over the security situation in Afghanistan under the Taliban’s rule. The Islamic State group has claimed numerous bombings in the country since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021. The group has also previously targeted Chinese nationals, with an attack on a Chinese-owned hotel in Kabul last year and the killing of six Chinese citizens just over the border in Tajikistan in November.
The deadly blast in Kabul has once again highlighted the precarious position of foreign nationals, including Chinese citizens, in the war-torn country. As the Taliban government faces pressure to ensure the protection of its citizens, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the persistent threats and challenges that continue to plague Afghanistan.