ISLAMABAD (AP) — 3 Spanish voters and 3 Afghans had been killed when gunmen opened hearth in central Afghanistan, Taliban and Spanish officers mentioned Saturday.
Officers had previous mentioned that 4 other folks died. No person straight away claimed accountability for the Friday night time assault.
Seven suspects had been arrested on the scene in Bamiyan province, a big vacationer space, and an investigation is underway, mentioned Abdul Mateen Qani, a spokesman for the internal minister, on Saturday. He mentioned seven folks had been wounded.
Qani didn’t give the nationality of the overseas voters, however the Spanish Ministry of International Affairs mentioned in a remark that 3 Spaniards had died within the assault and that no less than yet one more have been wounded. A Taliban reputable in Bamiyan who spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of he used to be no longer approved to talk to the media, mentioned that the 4 wounded foreigners had been from Spain, Norway, Australia and Latvia.
Spanish High Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote on social media platform X that he used to be “crushed” by way of the scoop.
Qani mentioned that every one those that had been wounded were transferred to capital Kabul for remedy and they’re strong situation.
The U.N. Help Venture in Afghanistan mentioned that it used to be deeply stunned and appalled by way of the assault on civilians.
“We categorical our condolences to the sufferers of the assault, and are offering help following the incident,” UNAMA mentioned on X.
Blame for the assault is prone to fall at the Islamic State workforce’s associate in Afghanistan, a big Taliban rival. IS militants have performed ratings of assaults on faculties, hospitals, mosques and minority Shiite spaces all over the rustic.
The Taliban seized energy in Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO forces had been within the ultimate weeks in their withdrawal from the rustic after twenty years of warfare.
In April The Related Press visited the Taliban-run institute coaching tourism and hospitality execs in Kabul.
The Taliban is looking for to extend the collection of vacationers coming to the rustic. In 2021, there have been 691 overseas vacationers; in 2022, that determine rose to two,300; and ultimate yr, it crowned 7,000.
Bamiyan is more than likely perfect referred to as the website of 2 huge Buddha statues that had been carved into the cliff face between the 4th and sixth century and which have been destroyed by way of the Taliban at al-Qaida’s urging in early 2001.
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