Kabul (Kubha News) – The United States and the European Union have condemned the recent attack on tourists in Bamiyan province, which resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries.
Thomas West, the U.S. State Department Special Representative for Afghanistan, expressed his sorrow over the incident in a tweet on X (formerly Twitter), stating that “The United States is deeply saddened to hear about the shooting attack in Bamiyan, which killed and wounded Afghan civilians and foreign nationals. Our thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. Violence is not the answer.”
The European Union also issued a statement denouncing the armed assault on the group of foreign tourists in Bamiyan.
Both the U.S. and EU statements refrained from specifying the nationalities of the foreign victims.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Interior confirmed that around 6 PM on Friday, four foreign nationals were killed in a shooting in Bamiyan city.
Additionally, one Afghan and four foreign nationals were injured.
Although the ministry did not disclose the identities of the foreign victims, initial reports from local journalists suggested that the deceased were American citizens.
Later, security sources at the scene confirmed that the four foreign tourists killed were Spanish nationals. Among the injured were tourists from Australia, Norway, Lithuania, and another Spanish citizen.
An Afghan translator accompanying the tourists also died in the attack, along with six local street vendors.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Abdul Matin Qani, the spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior, announced that four suspects have been arrested in connection with the attack and are being held for further investigation at the Bamiyan provincial police headquarters.
In recent months, the number of foreign tourists visiting various cities in Afghanistan, particularly historic and archaeological sites, has increased.
This attack marks the first significant assault on foreign tourists since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan.
Earlier this year, the Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture reported that over 8,000 foreign tourists visited Afghanistan last year, primarily to see its historical and archaeological sites.
With the arrival of spring, the number of tourists traveling to Afghanistan has risen even further.