BLAST AT CHINESE RESTAURANT IN KABUL KILLS 7, WOUNDS DOZENS

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Agency Report

At least seven people were killed and more than a dozen others injured in an explosion at a Chinese restaurant in central Kabul on Monday, emergency services confirmed.

The blast occurred at the Chinese Noodle restaurant in the Shahr-e-Naw area, a street known for its flower sellers. Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said the explosion, which took place near the kitchen, claimed the lives of a Chinese Muslim, identified as Ayub, and six Afghan nationals. Several others were wounded, including four women and a child.

An AFP journalist at the scene reported police vehicles and ambulances responding immediately, while windows in nearby buildings were shattered. The street was reopened to traffic within hours, though the restaurant’s entrance remained cordoned off.

Italian NGO EMERGENCY, which runs a hospital nearby, said it received “seven people dead on arrival” and admitted 13 others to its surgical department.

Eyewitnesses described panic and chaos as the blast ripped through the crowded area. “It was an emergency situation. Everybody feared for his own life,” said a local flower shop owner, who witnessed the aftermath.

The cause of the explosion is under investigation. Taliban officials, who have vowed to restore security and attract foreign investment amid dwindling aid, face ongoing threats from militant groups. Chinese business visitors have increasingly frequented Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, following a 2022 attack on a Kabul hotel targeting Chinese guests claimed by the Islamic State group.

China shares a 76-kilometre (47-mile) border with Afghanistan and maintains close ties with the Taliban government.