China condemns Kabul explosion that left 7 dead, including a Chinese national

China has strongly condemned the deadly explosion at a Chinese-Afghan restaurant in central Kabul on Monday, which killed at least seven people, including one Chinese national.

On Tuesday, ISIS-K (Daesh) claimed responsibility for the attack and said a suicide bomber had detonated explosives.

The blast occurred on Monday evening at Chinese Noodle, a joint Chinese-Afghan restaurant in the Shahr-e-Naw area of the capital. Kabul police said the explosion took place near the restaurant’s kitchen, killing one Chinese citizen and six Afghans, and injuring several others.

Speaking at a regular press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China expressed its “deep condolences over the lives lost and heartfelt sympathies to the injured.”

He confirmed that one Chinese national was killed and five other Chinese nationals were wounded in the attack.

Guo said China has made urgent representations to the Afghan authorities and requested they make every possible effort to treat the injured, ensure the safety of Chinese nationals, projects and institutions, thoroughly investigate the incident, and bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible.

Officials from the Chinese Embassy in Afghanistan have visited the injured in hospital, he added.

The explosion also drew strong condemnation from Afghan political figures.

Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai denounced the attack as a criminal and anti-human act, saying it contradicts Islamic values and Afghan traditions. He expressed condolences to the families of the victims and stressed that such violence undermines peace and stability in the country.

Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, former head of the High Council of National Reconciliation, also condemned the blast. In a post on X, he described the attack as an inhuman act against Islam, humanity and the will of the Afghan people, and extended his sympathies to the families of those killed.

China meanwhile reiterated that it firmly opposes terrorism in all its forms and supports Afghanistan and regional countries in jointly combating terrorist and violent activities.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry however, once again advised Chinese nationals to avoid travelling to Afghanistan in the near future. It also urged Chinese citizens and companies already in the country to take extra security precautions and leave high-risk areas as soon as possible.

Afghan authorities said investigations into the attack are ongoing.