Last week, Pakistan’s ambassador to Afghanistan was attacked inside his official residence in Kabul. Now, it is the turn of Pakistan’s ‘Iron Brother’ China to face the music Image Courtesy AP
Kabul: At least three people were killed in an attack on a hotel owned by Chinese nationals in the Shahr-e-Naw district of Kabul on Monday. No group has come forward to claim responsibility for the attack as of now.
According to a statement by Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the attack on the hotel ended after the Afghan security forces killed the three attackers.
“All hotel guests were saved, and no foreigners were killed. Two foreign guests were injured as a result of their fall when they jumped from the hotel building for their lives,” the statement added.
Attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and allied groups against security forces in Balochistan and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces of Pakistan have become an almost daily occurance since the Afghan Taliban recaptured Kabul and most of Afghanistan in August last year.
Last week, Pakistan’s ambassador to Afghanistan was attacked inside his official residence in Kabul. Now, it is the turn of Pakistan’s ‘Iron Brother’ China to face the music.
Several loud blasts and gunfire were heard in the Afghan capital Monday near a guest house popular with Chinese business visitors, a witness said.
Attacks on Chinese officials have become a regular occurrence in Balochistan and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces of Pakistan in recent years. However, this is the first time that Chinese officials and citizens have been targeted inside Afghanistan.
Although the Taliban claim to have improved national security since storming back to power in August last year, there have been scores of bomb blasts and attacks — many claimed by the local chapter of the Islamic State (ISIS) group.
“It was a very loud explosion and then there was a lot of gunfire,” the witness told AFP, while local media also reported similar details.
Security officials were not immediately available to comment on the blast, which happened in Shahr-e-naw, one of Kabul’s main commercial areas.
However, later in the day, Khaled Zadran, the spokesman of the Kabul Security Command, informed the media that the security forces have reached the building and have started an operation to eliminate the attackers.
Tolo News quoted Khalid Zadran as saying that a compound called ‘Kabul Hotel’, which houses ordinary people, came under attack from “devil” elements.
The Afghan news outlet also quoted a resident of the area as saying that that two big blasts were heard followed by several smaller explosions. He said the building belongs to Chinese nationals.
There has been a significant number of Chinese business people visiting Afghanistan since the Taliban’s return to power, and China maintains a full embassy even while not officially recognising the regime in Kabul.
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