Several gunmen shot at least four people in central Afghanistan last night, including three foreign nationals, a Taliban spokesman said, quoted by the Associated Press and BTA.
The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that three Spanish nationals were killed and at least one injured in the attack. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in a post on the X social network that they were tourists, adding that he was "shocked" from the news.
Four people were arrested at the scene. Bamyan is an attractive area for tourists. An investigation is underway, the Taliban spokesman was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the late-night attack.
According to a spokesman for the Taliban's Ministry of Internal Affairs, seven more people were wounded, including four foreign nationals. He did not disclose further details, nor the nationality of the foreigners.
The Taliban took power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as the US and NATO were in the final weeks of their withdrawal from the country after a 20-year war.
The Afghan branch of the "Islamic State" group, which is an opponent of the Taliban, will most likely be blamed for the attack, the Associated Press notes. The fighters of the "Islamic State" carried out dozens of attacks against schools, hospitals, mosques and areas inhabited by representatives of the Shiite minority.
Bamian province is perhaps best known for the two huge Buddha statues carved out of rock between the 4th and 6th centuries, which the Taliban destroyed in early 2001 at the behest of Al Qaeda.