On 12 December 2022, insurgents attacked a hotel popular with foreigners in

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. At least 3 civilians were killed. 18 others, including foreigners, are reported to be among those injured. Islamic State – Khorasan Province claimed responsibility for the attack.

Background

The

Islamic State–Taliban conflict The Islamic State–Taliban conflict is an ongoing armed conflict between the Islamic State and the Taliban in Afghanistan. The conflict escalated when militants who were affiliated with Islamic State – Khorasan Province killed Abdul Ghani, a ...

began in 2015; since then they have often attacked Kabul. In September 2022, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside the

Russian Embassy This is a list of diplomatic missions of Russia. These missions are subordinate to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Russian Federation has one of the largest networks of embassies and consulates of any country. Russia has significant ...

in Kabul, killing two Russian diplomats. In early December, gunmen attacked the Pakistani ambassador at his embassy compound in Kabul, wounding a Pakistani guard. On 11 December,

Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan The Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan is the official representative of the People's Republic of China to Afghanistan. List of representatives See also *Ambassadors of China References {{Ambassadors of China Afghanistan China Ch ...

Wang Yu met Afghan Deputy Foreign minister

Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai ( ; born 1963) is a senior member of the Afghan Taliban and the country's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs since 7 September 2021. He was an officer in the Afghan National Army after training at an army academy in ...

to discuss security matters, and called on the

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

"to pay more attention to the security of the Chinese Embassy in Kabul."

Attack

Around 14:30 local time on 12 December 2022, insurgents attacked the Kabul Longan Hotel in Afghanistan. Residents reported hearing a powerful explosion followed by gunfire.

Victims

3 people were killed and 18 injured. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mojahid confirmed the attack ended with all three gunmen killed, and hotel guests were evacuated. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that five Chinese nationals were among the injured.

Responsibility

On 13 December 2022,

jihadist Jihadism is a neologism which is used in reference to "militant Islamic movements that are perceived as existentially threatening to the West" and "rooted in political Islam."Compare: Appearing earlier in the Pakistani and Indian media, Wes ...

group Islamic State-Khorasan Province claimed responsibility for the attack in a Telegram post. The IS statement claimed the hotel was attacked because the hotel is frequented by diplomats and is owned by "communist China" . The Islamic State has a history of opposition to the Chinese government in relation to the government's

persecution of Uyghurs The Chinese government has committed a series of ongoing human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities in Xinjiang that is often characterized as genocide. Since 2014, the Chinese government, under the a ...

, and has been critical of the Taliban for its willingness to cooperate with China. The statement claimed the attackers detonated pre-planted explosives and set fire to the building. One of the attackers died during the attack while the second attacker, a Tajik national, managed to escape by scaling down the side of the Hotel. This same Tajik IS member would later carry out the 1 January, 2023, suicide bombing at Kabul Airport.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kabul hotel attack, 2022 Hotel attack 2022 murders in Afghanistan 2022 building bombings 2020s crimes in Kabul 21st-century mass murder in Afghanistan Attacks on buildings and structures in 2022 Building bombings in Kabul December 2022 events in Afghanistan Improvised explosive device bombings in 2022 ISIL terrorist incidents in Afghanistan Murder in Kabul Terrorist incidents in Afghanistan in 2022 Islamic State–Taliban conflict