KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an explosion at a Chinese restaurant in Afghanistan’s capital that killed at least seven people, including a Chinese national. The cause of the explosion was still under investigation, authorities said Tuesday.
The militant group said in a statement published on the Aamaq news agency late Monday that a suicide bomber entered a restaurant frequented by Chinese nationals in the city and detonated an explosive vest during a gathering. He said 25 people were killed or injured in the attack, including Taliban guards. The details could not be independently verified.
Afghan authorities did not officially confirm the cause of the explosion on Monday, and Interior Ministry spokesman Mufti Abdul Mateen Qani said Tuesday that it was still being investigated.
The IS claim corresponded in style to previous ones issued by the group, and was widely shared by supporters of the militants early Tuesday. The claim included another threat against Chinese citizens in Afghanistan, linking the attack to China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims.
While almost all nations withdrew from Afghanistan after the 2021 Taliban offensive that led to their capture of Kabul, China maintained a large economic presence in the country. Beijing has yet to diplomatically recognize the Taliban-led government of Afghanistan.
On Tuesday, China advised its citizens not to travel to Afghanistan in the near future after the bombing, and asked Chinese people and companies already in the country to strengthen security measures and evacuate from high-risk areas.
“China strongly condemns and resolutely opposes terrorism in all forms and supports Afghanistan and countries in the region to jointly combat all forms of violent terrorist acts,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a daily briefing in Beijing.
He said that a Chinese citizen was killed and five others were injured. He added that China is urging the Afghan authorities “to make every effort to treat the injured, take more effective measures to protect the safety of Chinese citizens (and) projects,” and to find and punish the perpetrators.
The attack took place at a Chinese restaurant in the city’s Shahr-e-Naw district, according to police spokesman Khalid Zadran. He said on Monday that the restaurant was jointly owned by an Afghan man, a Chinese national and his wife.
Zadran said that a Chinese citizen and six Afghans were killed and several others were injured. The explosion happened near the kitchen of the restaurant, he said.
The Italian charity EMERGENCY, which operates a surgical center near the site, said on Monday that it had received 20 casualties from the blast, including seven people who were already dead. The number of victims remained provisional, the organization said.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that two Chinese nationals were seriously injured and a security guard was killed. Footage broadcast by Afghan broadcaster Tolo News showed people running in the street as smoke and dust descended from the area.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the explosion, which he attributed to a bomb, in a statement issued by his office. He accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of failing to uphold ceasefire agreements, particularly commitments to prevent militant groups from using Afghan territory to carry out attacks.
His comments followed an announcement by Tajik authorities that border guards had killed four gunmen who crossed into the country from Afghanistan overnight. Afghan officials said the men were drug smugglers. Kabul has repeatedly said it will not allow its territory to be used by militant groups.
The Islamic State group has been behind some attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
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Samy Magdy contributed to this report from Cairo.