The Taliban government in Afghanistan has confirmed a tragic incident in Bamiyan province where three foreign tourists were killed and four others injured in a shooting. The Ministry of Interior Affairs’ spokesperson, Mufti Abdul Mateen Qani, announced on his social media platform that an Afghan national was also killed and three others injured in the same attack.
According to additional reports from Bamiyan, a total of eight people, including three foreign nationals, were killed in the incident, which also claimed the lives of Afghan citizens.
Mufti Qani stated, “The security forces started trying to find the killers, and so far, four people have been arrested in this case.” However, details regarding the condition of the injured individuals and the identities of the deceased foreign nationals have not been disclosed.
During the previous republican regime, attacks on foreigners were frequently attributed to Taliban militants. However, with the Taliban now in power, the responsible parties for such attacks remain unclear.
ISIS-Khorasan, often responsible for attacks on Taliban leaders, religious minorities, and other civilian targets in Afghanistan, has not been previously reported as active in Bamiyan province, which is predominantly inhabited by the Hazara community.
In a separate incident, reports from Kabul indicated an explosion near the Shah Do Shamshira mosque on Friday evening. Details about casualties and the nature of the explosion are still pending.
Bamiyan is one of Afghanistan’s provinces known for attracting tourists, particularly those interested in the site of the destroyed Buddha statues. Over the past two decades, it has been one of the relatively peaceful regions in Afghanistan.
Despite warnings from various countries advising their citizens against traveling to Afghanistan due to high-security risks, some adventurous individuals have continued to visit, taking advantage of the relative peace under Taliban rule. This recent incident marks the first time in over two and a half years of Taliban governance that unidentified gunmen have targeted foreign tourists.