UN chief strongly condemns attack on Kabul hotel

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday strongly condemned the attack on a hotel in Kabul and called for the perpetrators to be held to account.

A hotel popular among Chinese nationals in Kabul was attacked by gunmen on Monday afternoon. Three attackers were killed and several Chinese civilians were injured. An affiliate of ISIS-K (Daesh) claimed responsibility for the attack.

Guterres “expresses his condolences to the bereaved families and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN chief, in a statement.

The secretary-general called for the perpetrators to be held to account, and reiterated that “attacks against civilians and civilian objects are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law,” the statement added.

This comes after China on Tuesday advised its citizens in Afghanistan to leave the country “as soon as possible,” following the attack.

On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin called the attack “egregious in nature” and said China was “deeply shocked.”

Beijing demanded a “thorough investigation” and urged the Taliban government “to take resolute and strong measures to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens, institutions and projects in Afghanistan,” Wang said.