Turkmenistan & Kazakhstan Halt Exporting Aviation Fuel To Afghanistan

Agence France-Presse (AFP) also reported, citing its sources, that three other injured individuals are citizens of Norway, Australia, and Lithuania.

The Taliban have stated that four people have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in this attack.

The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the consular emergency unit has been fully mobilised to assist the victims and their families.

Sánchez wrote on X social media platform that he was overwhelmed by the news of the death of Spanish tourists in Afghanistan. Expressing his condolences to the families of the victims, he said that he is monitoring the situation.

Reaction of United States & European Union

The European Union and the US Special Representative for Afghanistan condemned the attack in separate statements.

Tom West, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan, expressed condolences to the families of the victims on his X account and stated that violence is not an answer.

The European Union also expressed condolences to the families of the victims and the injured in a statement on Friday.

A spokesman for the Taliban's Ministry of Interior announced that in this attack, three foreign citizens and one Afghan had been killed, and seven others, including four foreign nationals, were injured.

There is no immediate indication of the cause of the attack, and no group has claimed responsibility for it.

Bamiyan is the site of the remains of two giant Buddha statues that were blown up by the Taliban during their previous rule in 2001.

Since taking control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban have promised to improve security and encourage more foreign tourists to visit the country, aiming to turn the ruins of the Buddha statues into a source of revenue.

The shooting on Friday is one of the most serious attacks on foreign citizens since the withdrawal of foreign forces and the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan.

Previously, ISIS claimed responsibility for the deadly attack on Chinese citizens in a hotel in Kabul in 2022.

The front said that the attack occurred at 8:15pm on Friday near the Shah-Do Shamshira Mosque in the city.

The front also posted a video of the attack on its X social media account.

The Taliban have not yet commented on this attack.

Earlier, local sources reported an explosion in the first district of Kabul city.

The AFF stated on its X account, “The leader of the Taliban group has been in Kabul for several days, and under the pretext of taking security measures to protect him, the Taliban have imposed severe restrictions on people's movement and business activities in the central areas of the capital.”

Qani disclosed that four suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident. He strongly condemned the attack on the social platform X, asserting that the culprits have been apprehended and will face justice.

The spokesperson did not specify the nationality of the foreign victims. However, a source who requested anonymity informed Afghanistan International that the attack killed four foreign tourists and their Afghan driver, and injured eight civilians.

The source suggested that the tourists were likely Russian nationals.

The statement also mentioned that they are obligated to take responsibility for Afghanistan's socio-economic problems.

The joint statement by Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping was published on the Kremlin's website on Thursday, May 16.

In the joint statement, the presidents of Russia and China referred to the 20-year presence of the US and NATO in Afghanistan as an "occupation”.

The statement also called for the release of Afghanistan's frozen financial reserves by the US.

It added that the US and NATO should support the post-war reconstruction of Afghanistan and take all necessary measures to release Afghanistan's frozen central bank reserves.

According to the statement, the presidents of Russia and China also expressed their willingness to increase cooperation regarding Afghanistan, both bilaterally and multilaterally, with the goal of transforming Afghanistan into an independent, neutral, peaceful country free of terrorism and drugs.

In this regard, Putin and Xi Jinping emphasised on the active and constructive role of regional formats, including the Moscow format and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, in resolving Afghanistan's political issues.

Putin arrived in Beijing on the Thursday morning, May 16. He thanked Xi Jinping for establishing a strategic partnership based on national interests and mutual trust with Russia.

However, Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban leader, has so far avoided a meet with Lacroix, who is visiting Kabul.

It is unclear whether the Taliban leader will meet this senior UN official in the coming days.

Sources say that the Taliban leader has indicated that he will receive the views and suggestions of the Under-Secretary-General through Muttaqi.

Reports of the Taliban leader meeting with foreign officials have been rare.

Hibatullah Akhundzada has only met with two foreign leaders: Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam leader Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman in 2023.

Sources say that in his meeting with Muttaqi, Lacroix urged the Taliban to refrain from violent treatment of non-Pashtuns. He also called for an end to arbitrary arrests and the detention of former government officials.

The Under-Secretary-General also emphasised on reopening schools and universities for all girls. However, sources said that Muttaqi responded by saying that the Taliban is not yet ready to open educational institutions to all girls.

Quoting the Taliban leader, Muttaqi stated that the UN should not interfere in the matter of girls' education as it is related to the traditions and beliefs of the Afghan people. Muttaqi promised that the Taliban would reopen schools and universities for girls and women under better conditions but did not provide a timeline for lifting the education ban on women.

Additionally, the UN Under-Secretary-General expressed concern over Taliban interference in aid organisations’ activities, noting that it negatively impacts the UN's cooperation with the Taliban.

He stated that the UN wants aid to reach those in need transparently, but Taliban interference hinders this. He specifically mentioned obstacles created by the Taliban's Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in providing health services, which impede women's access to aid.