ISIS claims responsibility for Kabul attack that killed Chinese national, six Afghans

The Afghan branch of the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a Chinese-run restaurant in Kabul, according to the SITE Intelligence Group.

At least seven people were killed, including one Chinese national, when an explosion ripped through the restaurant located inside a hotel in Kabul’s upscale Shahr-e-Naw district on Monday evening. Several others were injured, among them a child, Afghan officials said.

In a statement carried by the Islamic State’s propaganda outlet, the Amaq News Agency, the group said Chinese citizens had been placed on its list of targets, citing what it described as “growing crimes by the Chinese government against Uyghur Muslims.”

Police spokesperson Khalid Zadran said the blast occurred near the kitchen of the restaurant, which was jointly run by Chinese Muslim national Abdul Majid, his wife, and Afghan partner Abdul Jabbar Mahmood. The eatery primarily served the Chinese Muslim community in Kabul.

Shahr-e-Naw is considered one of the most heavily guarded areas of the Afghan capital, housing embassies, commercial centres and office buildings. Despite the security presence, authorities confirmed that a suicide bomber carried out the attack.

One of the victims was identified as Ayub, a Chinese citizen, while the remaining six were Afghan nationals. Zadran said investigations into the blast were ongoing.

Videos circulating on social media showed debris strewn across the street and smoke pouring from a large hole blown into the front of the restaurant building.

Humanitarian group EMERGENCY said it had received 20 casualties. “Among the wounded are four women and a child. Unfortunately, seven people were already dead on arrival,” said EMERGENCY’s Afghanistan country director Dejan Panic.

Rights groups have long accused China of widespread abuses against Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region, allegations that Beijing has repeatedly denied.

Afghan authorities have not officially confirmed the cause of the blast, though Pakistan’s president issued a statement attributing it to a bomb.

The Taliban, which seized power in 2021, has said it restored security across Afghanistan. However, attacks continue to rock the country, many of them claimed by the Islamic State’s local affiliate.