A large blast followed by gunfire was heard successful downtown Kabul connected Monday day arsenic assailants attacked a guesthouse utilized predominantly by Chinese nationals, according to the Kabul police. An Italian-run exigency infirmary little than a mile distant successful the Afghan superior said it had received 21 patients from the attack, 3 of whom were dormant connected arrival.
A photograph shared with CBS News by Kabul constabulary showed Chinese signage connected the partition of the multi-story building. A Kabul nonmigratory told CBS News by telephone that Chinese nationals person frequented the hotel.
"At astir 2:30, a edifice successful Shar-e-naw country of Kabul metropolis by the sanction of Kabul Hotel came nether attack," Kabul constabulary spokesperson Khalid Zadran told CBS News, adding that the edifice is utilized "by immoderate foreigners and section Afghans."
Videos posted connected societal media showed occurrence and heavy fume rising from a little level model of the edifice building. Another video, changeable from a gathering other the hotel, showed men escaping from different model — 1 of them clinging desperately to an aerial conditioning portion earlier falling respective floors.
The main spokesperson from Afghanistan's ruling Taliban regime, Zabiullah Mujahid, said the onslaught ended aft 3 assailants were killed successful a firefight. He said lone 2 foreigners were somewhat injured aft escaping retired of windows.
The Afghan subdivision of the ISIS panic group, known arsenic ISIS-K oregon ISIS Khorasan, aboriginal claimed work for the attack. The radical has stepped-up attacks since the Taliban retook power of the state and the U.S.-led subject conjugation pulled retired successful the summertime of 2021.
Monday's analyzable onslaught seemingly targeting Chinese nationals appeared to beryllium the latest successful a drawstring of convulsive acts directed astatine the fewer countries that the Taliban tin number amongst its allies.
On Sunday, China's Ambassador Wang Yu met successful Kabul with the Taliban regime's Deputy Foreign Minister, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, and called connected the radical "to wage much attraction to the information of the Chinese Embassy successful Kabul," according to a connection from the Taliban Ministry of overseas affairs.
Last week, gunmen attacked the Pakistani ambassador astatine his embassy compound successful Kabul, wounding a Pakistani guard. The ambassador himself narrowly escaped assassination. The onslaught was claimed by ISIS-K, and the Taliban is said to person arrested suspects.
In September, a termination bomber blew himself up extracurricular the Russian Embassy successful the bosom of Kabul, sidesplitting 2 Russian diplomats successful what appeared to beryllium the archetypal onslaught connected a overseas diplomatic ngo successful Afghanistan since the autumn of the state to the Taliban.
Pakistan, Russia, China, and Iran, immoderate of Afghanistan's neighbors, person each been accused of supporting the Taliban astatine assorted points implicit the past 20 years. The Russians were adjacent accused of putting up a bounty connected American troops successful Afghanistan.
Political analysts judge the attacks connected the Taliban's supporters item a increasing information for the country, and 1 which they judge volition lone summation arsenic ISIS and different opposing groups effort to amusement the Taliban is incapable of securing the country.
"The attacks against countries and individuals supporting the Taliban straight and indirectly volition increase," Ahmad Saeedi, a governmental expert and erstwhile diplomat told CBS News. "Afghanistan is struggling with a determination quality warfare successful which everyone is trying to prosecute their ain interest."
Tariq Farhadi, a erstwhile advisor to Afghanistan's Western-backed President Ashraf Ghani who present works arsenic a governmental analyst, besides said the Taliban should expect much specified attacks against its allies. He besides warned that galore of the extremist group's ft soldiers, who haven't benefitted overmuch straight from it seizing power, could beryllium tempted to articulation opposing, perchance adjacent much extremist groups.
"It is imaginable to spot a much brutal radical than the Taliban and ISIS successful Afghanistan successful the future," Farhadi said.
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