Three Spanish tourists and an Afghan were killed by gunfire this Friday, May 17, at the end of the day in Bamiyan, a tourist town in central Afghanistan, according to official Afghan and Spanish sources.
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This deadly attack is apparently the first against tourists foreigners in Afghanistan since the return to power of the Taliban in August 2021. “ Three foreigners and an Afghan were killed ” And ” four foreigners and three Afghans were injured » by a series of gunshots, said ministry spokesperson Abdul Mateen Qani, without specifying whether the assault was carried out by one or more shooters.
In Madrid, a source within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in the evening that the three killed were of Spanish nationality. “ Three Spaniards killed and at least one injured in shooting in Afghanistan »said this source, who asked to remain anonymous. “ The ministry is working, through the Consular Emergency Unit, to clarify the circumstances, assist those affected and contact their families », added this source.
For his part, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez declared “ shocked ” by ” murder » of these Spanish tourists and assured “ monitor the situation very closely “. In Kabul, the spokesperson for the Interior Ministry indicated that four suspects had been arrested, without further details.
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Please note the current situation. The Emerging Consular Unit @MAECgob This is working to provide all the necessary assistance.
Quiero trasladar todo mi afecto a su familiares y amigos.
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) May 17, 2024
“ The Islamic Emirate strongly condemns this crime »
The injured are believed to be Norwegian, Australian, Lithuanian and Spanish, according to preliminary information from a hospital source. “ I heard a series of gunshots said one resident, “ security forces immediately cordoned off the streets leading to the scene » of the killing, near the large Bamiyan market.
Bamiyan, home to the giant Buddhas blown up by the Taliban in 2001, is Afghanistan’s top tourist destination. The province of Bamiyan is mainly inhabited by members of the Hazara community, Shiites. These are regularly targeted by deadly attacks by the Sunni Islamic State (IS) group, generally carried out with explosive devices against vehicles.
Apart from IS attacks, security has generally returned to Afghanistan since 2021, after more than 40 years of deadly conflicts. “ The Islamic Emirate strongly condemns this crime, expresses its deep regrets to the families of the victims and guarantees that all criminals will be found and punished “, declared the spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior.
Towards emerging tourism
The murder of tourists is bad news for this country, one of the poorest in the world and concerned about develop emerging tourism. Despite the lack of infrastructure and the scarcity of cultural sites after the destruction and looting of wars, foreign tourism is beginning to emerge in this country with an extremely welcoming population and grandiose landscapes. The number of foreign tourists in Afghanistan increased by 120% to nearly 5,200 last year over one year, according to official figures.
Arriving Friday evening in Herat, in the west of the country, a foreign tourist indicated on a WhatsApp group: “ we were stopped by Taliban while we were walking down the street. They brought us to the station and wouldn’t let us go, saying that because of Bamiyan we were no longer safe. Then they told us to have dinner quickly and not to stay in the streets », he finishes.