Democracy Dies in Darkness

Three foreigners killed in apparent attack in central Afghanistan

Afghan officials did not immediately comment on the victims’ nationalities or the motive behind Friday’s attack.

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Updated May 17, 2024 at 5:21 p.m. EDT|Published May 17, 2024 at 2:11 p.m. EDT
1 min

KABUL — Three foreigners were killed and four were injured in a shooting in the central Afghan city of Bamian on Friday, the Taliban-run government said. Their deaths marked one of the deadliest apparent attacks on foreigners since the U.S. withdrawal from the country.

Among the victims were several Spanish tourists, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Three locals were also killed, according to Afghan authorities.

Friday’s attack came amid mounting concerns in the region over ISIS-K, a local offshoot of the Islamic State group that has been linked to a deadly rampage in a Moscow concert hall in March. The group has frequently claimed attacks on the Taliban over the past two years.

Afghan officials did not immediately comment on the victims’ nationalities or a possible motive behind Friday’s attack.

In a statement, a spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry said four suspects were arrested.

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Mufti Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior Affairs, said on X: “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns this accident, expresses its deep feelings to the families of the victims and assures that all the criminals will be found and punished, hopefully.”

Bamian, the provincial capital where the shooting took place, is home to the remnants of Afghanistan’s two great Buddha figures that were destroyed by the Taliban over two decades ago. Most recently, the Taliban-run government has attempted to turn the site into a tourist attraction.