Blast kills seven people at hotel restaurant in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul

At least seven people have been killed after an explosion tore through a Chinese-run restaurant inside a hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital. Afghan police said one Chinese national and six Afghans died in the blast, which occurred in the Shahr-e-Naw neighbourhood, a heavily guarded commercial area of the city.

The police spokesperson, Khalid Zadran, said the explosion happened near the kitchen of the restaurant, which serves the Chinese Muslim community. Several other people, including a child, were injured, while the Italian NGO Emergency said it received 20 casualties at its surgical centre in Kabul, seven of whom were dead on arrival.

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The Afghan branch of ISIL later claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out by a suicide bomber. Blasts in Kabul have become less frequent since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, though ISIL affiliates continue to carry out sporadic attacks across the country.