Daesh claims responsibility for attack in Afghanistan that killed 3 Spanish and 3 Afghans

• Seven people were wounded in the attack in Bamiyan province, a major tourist area.
• The attack was in response to IS leaders' directives to target European Union citizens.
• The Daesh group's affiliate in Afghanistan is a major Taliban rival.

The Daesh group has claimed responsibility for an attack on foreigners in central Afghanistan last week, resulting in the deaths of three Spanish citizens and three Afghans. Abdul Mateen Qani, a spokesman for the interior minister, reported that seven people were wounded in the attack on Friday in Bamiyan province, a major tourist area. He stated that seven suspects were arrested at the scene.

Late Sunday, the Daesh group issued statements on its Aamaq news agency, stating that its fighters attacked a bus carrying tourists and their guides. "The attack was in response to the IS leaders’ directions to target citizens of the European Union wherever they are found," it said.

Spain’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that three Spaniards died and at least one more had been wounded. A Taliban official in Bamiyan, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, stated that the four wounded foreigners were from Spain, Norway, Australia, and Latvia. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote on social media platform X that he was “overwhelmed” by the news.

Qani stated that all those who were wounded have been transferred to the capital of Kabul for treatment and they are in stable condition. The Daesh group’s affiliate in Afghanistan serves as a major Taliban rival, and its militants have attacked schools, hospitals, mosques, and minority Shiite areas throughout the country.

In August 2021, the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan as US and NATO forces were in the final weeks of their withdrawal from the country after 20 years of war. The Taliban is seeking to increase the number of tourists coming to the country. In 2021, there were 691 foreign tourists; in 2022, that figure rose to 2,300; and last year, it topped 7,000.

Bamiyan was the site of two massive Buddha statues carved into a cliff between the 4th and 6th centuries, which the Taliban destroyed at Al-Qaeda’s urging in early 2001. Separately on Monday, a hand grenade exploded in the southern city of Kandahar, killing at least one civilian and wounding three, according to the Kandahar police chief’s office.

The statement said that police were investigating the explosion near the road toward Kandahar airport. No group has claimed responsibility for the blast.

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