They wanted to admire the scenic beauty and cultural sights of Afghanistan – and were shot. Several foreign tourists and locals were killed in an attack in Bamian.
The death toll following an attack in Afghanistan has risen to six, including three Spanish tourists. The interior ministry of the ruling Taliban said two more Afghans had died from their injuries. There were also further arrests – seven people are in custody.
The Afghan ministry initially did not provide any further information about the crime or nationality of the victims. The injured were taken to the capital Kabul for treatment. The Spanish fatalities were two women and a man from the Catalonia region, as the public prosecutor’s office at the State Court in Madrid announced. In addition, a Spanish woman was seriously injured and her condition is critical, said Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares. “Everything indicates that it was an attack or an assassination attempt,” said the minister.
Armed person fired indiscriminately
Citing the testimony of a witness, Albares said an armed person came out of an alley and began shooting indiscriminately. The Spanish government is in close contact with the Afghan authorities to retrieve the three bodies, the injured woman and two Spanish citizens who escaped unharmed.
Australian media reported, citing authorities, that one person from Australia was among the injured. The Norwegian news agency NTB reported, citing the Foreign Ministry, that a person with Norwegian citizenship was also injured.
The ruins of the Buddha statues in Bamian/Afghanistan
Bamian Province is famous for its scenic beauty and cultural attractions. The province was already considered one of the safest in the country before the Taliban came back to power, when the Islamists were still fighting against the Afghan government backed by international troops. Thousands of Afghans visited the Band-e Amir National Park or viewed the remains of two monumental Buddha statues, witnesses to the country’s pre-Islamic past.
More foreign tourists in Afghanistan again
Since the Taliban came to power in 2021 and the withdrawal of international troops, local authorities have again recorded an increase in foreign tourists. Even though the security situation has improved significantly since the end of the armed conflict, there are still attacks. Most of them are claimed by the terrorist militia “Islamic State” (IS), which is hostile to the Taliban despite ideological proximity.