The Daesh terror group claimed responsibility overnight for a deadly attack at a restaurant in Afghanistan’s capital that killed at least seven people on Monday, including a Muslim from China, as authorities in Kabul said they were still investigating.
The terror group said in a statement posted on its Aamaq news agency late on Monday that a suicide bomber entered a restaurant and detonated an explosive vest during a gathering.
It claimed 25 people were killed or wounded in the attack, including Taliban guards. The claim could not be independently verified.
Kabul police said the victims of the explosion included a Muslim from China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.
In a statement, police identified the restaurant as a joint Chinese-Afghan venture run by Abdul Majeed, a Muslim from China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, his wife, and an Afghan partner, Abdul Jabbar Mahmood.
The blast killed one Chinese national, identified as Ayub, who was also a Muslim, along with six Afghan citizens, while several others were injured.
“The cause of the explosion has not yet been determined. Relevant authorities have launched an investigation and further details will be released as they become available,” Khalid Zadran, spokesperson for Kabul police command, said.
The Daesh claim corresponded in style to previous ones issued by the group, and supporters of the terror group widely shared it early on Tuesday.
The claim included a further threat against Chinese citizens in Afghanistan, linking the attack to China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims.
While nearly all nations pulled out of Afghanistan following the Taliban offensive of 2021 that led to them seizing Kabul, China has maintained a major economic presence in the country.
Beijing has yet to diplomatically recognise Afghanistan’s Taliban-run government.
Urgent measures for Chinese protection
Beijing demanded on Tuesday that Afghanistan protect Chinese citizens after the bombing.
China, which shares a rugged 76-kilometre border with Afghanistan, has close ties with the Taliban government.
"China has made urgent representations with the Afghan side, demanding that the Afghan side spare no effort to treat the injured, further take effective measures to protect the safety of Chinese citizens," foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in a news conference.
Five Chinese nationals were also among the wounded, Beijing said, warning its citizens against travelling to Afghanistan.
"Chinese citizens and enterprises already in Afghanistan should enhance their awareness of prevention, strengthen security measures and evacuate high-risk areas as soon as possible," Guo said.
Taliban officials have vowed to restore security to the country and are courting foreign investors to secure crucial revenue streams as foreign aid funding dries up.
