A ferocious explosion at a prominent hotel in Kabul’s Shahre Naw has left several dead and wounded, piercing the veil of security in one of the city’s most protected enclaves. The Monday incident in Gul Faroshi Street marks a bold assault on a zone teeming with international presence.
Taliban authorities swiftly acknowledged the toll, with police spokesperson Khalid Zadran noting active investigations into the human cost. Kabul’s streets fell silent after the deafening blast, as smoke billowed and chaos ensued.
Social media flooded with harrowing images: prone bodies amid debris, evacuating shoppers, and acrid fumes—all relayed via Afghanistan International. The visuals paint a grim picture of vulnerability in this expatriate haven.
Interior Ministry’s Abdul Mateen Qani provided initial assessments to Reuters, verifying fatalities and serious injuries, promising comprehensive disclosures soon. Xinhua added a global angle, reporting grave injuries to two Chinese visitors and the loss of an Afghan guard’s life.
Responsibility remains unclaimed, but historical patterns implicate ISIS-K, the group’s Afghan affiliate known for high-profile hits. Home to diplomatic missions, high-rises, and malls, Shahre Naw symbolizes stability under Taliban rule—a stability now questioned.
Rapid deployment of Taliban units secured the perimeter, ferrying casualties to hospitals while forensics teams sifted evidence. This brazen act reverberates beyond the rubble, challenging the government’s security narrative at a precarious juncture.
With Afghanistan navigating sanctions and humanitarian crises, such eruptions risk derailing fragile progress. Observers watch closely, wondering if this foreshadows intensified militancy or a Taliban crackdown to restore order.