The Islamic State jihadist group has claimed responsibility for an attack on Monday on a hotel in the Afghan capital, Kabul, and said that at least 30 people were killed or injured, a much higher toll than the two officially confirmed wounded by the Taliban.
Islamic State has issued images of the two attackers, as well as a video in which they swear allegiance to the new leader, since his predecessor had died in mid-October during an operation of the Free Syrian Army in the Syrian province of Daraa, according to the spokesman of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), Joe Buccino, according to SITE Intelligence Group, an organization specialized in tracking terrorist groups.
The Taliban spokesman and Afghan deputy information minister, Zabihullah Mujahid, said that «the attack on a hotel in Kabul has resulted in the death of the three attackers». «All guests have been saved and no foreigners have been killed. Two foreign guests have been injured after jumping from a window,» he added through his account on the social network Twitter.
For his part, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin has indicated that five citizens of the Asian giant were injured in the attack and added that «several Afghan policemen were killed,» without giving further details. «We express our condolences to the dead policemen and the wounded,» he said.
Wang stressed that the Chinese Embassy in Kabul has contacted the Taliban to demand that the wounded be treated, the incident be investigated and those responsible be brought to justice, as well as to increase the security of Chinese citizens in Afghanistan, as reported by the Sohu news portal.
The incident took place a day after Afghan Deputy Prime Minister Mohamad Abas Stanikzai met with Chinese Ambassador Wang Yu in Kabul to assure him that the Taliban guarantee the security of diplomatic representatives and facilities in the country following the recent attacks on the Pakistani and Russian embassies.
