the Islamic State group claims responsibility for the attack against a group of tourists in Bamiyan

The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for a deadly attack in Afghanistan on Sunday, May 19, in which three Spanish tourists and three Afghan nationals died on Friday.

In a press release broadcast on its Telegram channels, the jihadist group asserts that “fighters fired machine guns at Christian tourists and their Shiite companions,” Friday in Bamiyan, a mountainous town in central Afghanistan.

The victims were the target of gunfire late Friday afternoon in the bazaar of this tourist town some 180 kilometers from Kabul.

The attack targeted “a busload of tourists from coalition countries”, the terrorist group said, referring to the American-led international coalition to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria. This action “complies with management guidelines” of ISIS “to target nationals of coalition countries wherever they are”added the group.

Spain will “ensure that these crimes do not go unpunished”

This deadly attack is apparently the first against foreign tourists since the return to power of the Taliban in August 2021 in Afghanistan, where foreign diplomatic representations are rare. Taliban authorities announced on Saturday the arrest of seven suspects.

Madrid said on Sunday that the three Spaniards killed were Catalans, including a mother and her daughter as well as a 63-year-old retiree. An 82-year-old Spanish woman was seriously injured and transported to a hospital managed by the Italian NGO Emergency in Kabul. “His injuries are progressing favorably but his prognosis is uncertain”declared the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The minister, José Manuel Albares, “firmly condemned” the attack in a message published on X Sunday, adding that he would work for “ensure that these crimes do not go unpunished”. “The two Spaniards who were not injured are now out of Afghanistan. The operation to repatriate the rest of the Spanish victims is still underway »he continued.

More than 5,000 foreign tourists in 2023

Although the security situation may have improved in Afghanistan since the return of the Taliban to power in August 2021, a certain number of armed groups, including IS, remain a threat. The Hazaras, a majority Shiite community in the province of Bamiyan, are particularly targeted. The Islamic State organization considers them to be heretics.

Tourists are increasing in number in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime and the Bamiyan region is the favorite destination for these travelers. More than 5,000 foreigners visited the country in 2023 according to figures from the Taliban government, which supports this still embryonic sector.

However, several Western nations have called on their nationals not to travel to Afghanistan due to the risks of attacks and kidnappings.