The Taliban police said seven people, including a Chinese national, were killed and several others wounded in Monday afternoon’s explosion near a restaurant in downtown Kabul’s Shahr-e-Naw area.
Taliban police spokesman Khalid Zadran said the blast occurred at around 3 p.m. local time at the Chinese Noodle restaurant on Gulforoshi Street, a crowded area close to several diplomatic missions and international organizations.
Zadran said the restaurant was jointly run by a Chinese Muslim, Abdul Majid, his wife and an Afghan partner, Abdul Jabbar Mahmoud, and primarily served Chinese Muslim customers.
He said one Chinese national, identified as Ayub, and six Afghan citizens were killed in the blast, while several others were injured.
“The explosion occurred near the kitchen area of the restaurant,” Zadran said, adding that the nature of the blast had not yet been determined and that investigations were under way.
The international medical charity EMERGENCY said at least seven people were killed and 13 others wounded in the explosion, which took place near its Surgical Centre in Kabul.
EMERGENCY said it received 20 people following the blast, seven of whom were dead on arrival, noting that the figures were provisional.
“So far, we have received twenty people at our hospital,” said Dejan Panic, EMERGENCY’s country director. “Among the wounded are four women and a child. Some of the injured are being assessed for surgery, suffering from lacerations and bruises. Unfortunately, seven people were already dead on arrival.”
Earlier, three sources told Amu TV that Chinese nationals were the apparent target of the attack, though details remain unclear. The sources said several Chinese citizens and Afghan nationals were taken to hospital.
Footage shared on social media showed people running from the scene, smoke rising in the area and one person lying on the ground. Witnesses said nearby shops were damaged in the blast.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
China has invested heavily in Afghanistan in recent years, particularly in mining and infrastructure projects, and Chinese nationals have previously been targeted in attacks claimed by ISIS militants.
