IRIA News

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An explosion tore through a hotel area in the Shahr-e-Naw district of central Kabul on January 19, 2026, killing at least seven people and injuring several others, including a Chinese citizen.

The blast occurred in the Shahr-e-Naw neighborhood, a commercial and diplomatic area that includes office buildings, shopping centers, restaurants, and foreign-related facilities. The district is widely regarded as one of the most secure areas of the Afghan capital.

Kabul police spokesperson Khalid Zadran said the explosion took place “in a hotel” in Shahr-e-Naw, without providing details on the cause or nature of the blast. Authorities said an investigation is underway.

An Italian humanitarian organization, EMERGENCY, said its Surgical Centre in Kabul received 20 injured people following the explosion, seven of whom were already dead when they arrived.

“Twenty people have been received at EMERGENCY’s Surgical Centre in Kabul following an explosion this afternoon in the Shahr-e-Naw area,” the organization said in a statement. “Among those received were seven people dead on arrival,” it added.

Dejan Panic, EMERGENCY’s Country Director in Afghanistan, said the wounded included four women and one child. “The wounded, several of whom are undergoing evaluation for surgical intervention, have sustained lacerations and contusions,” Panic said. “Regrettably, seven individuals were deceased upon arrival.” The organization noted that the casualty figures were still provisional.

Explosion rocks downtown Kabul, causing casualties https://t.co/UxyiLhUO2U pic.twitter.com/rRMqyykqPe

— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) January 19, 2026

Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior, confirmed that the explosion resulted in casualties.

“According to preliminary reports, a number of people were killed and injured,” Qani said, adding that further details would be released once investigations progressed.

Kabul police later confirmed the incident in a statement posted on X but did not specify whether the blast was caused by an explosive device, gas, or another source. No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion, and there was no immediate indication of whether the incident was an attack or an accident.

ISIS Claims Responsibility

The Afghan branch of ISIS (ISIL) later claimed responsibility for the attack, saying in a statement that it was carried out by a suicide bomber. The attack marks the latest in a series of operations claimed by the group in Kabul, underscoring the persistence of urban insecurity despite Taliban pledges to stabilize the capital.

Security analysts note that ISIL has sought to exploit symbolic and foreign-linked targets both to undermine the Taliban’s claims of control and to attract global attention.

ISIL’s Amaq news agency said the group had put Chinese citizens on its list of targets, citing “growing crimes by the Chinese government against Uighurs.” The threat aligns with ISIL’s sustained propaganda efforts that frame China as a hostile state actor in Muslim-majority regions.

The attack highlights the complex geopolitical dimension of recent attacks in Kabul, where foreign nationals and businesses increasingly find themselves entangled in Afghanistan’s volatile security landscape.

This photo shows the extent of the damage and the explosion at the restaurant in Kabul, Afghanistan. https://t.co/HWoYoDF2gm pic.twitter.com/gdmYybQPeD

— Iftikhar Firdous (@IftikharFirdous) January 19, 2026

Scene of the Explosion

Videos shared by Afghan media outlets, including Tolo News, showed debris scattered across the street, damaged vehicles, and smoke rising from a large hole torn into the front of the building where the explosion occurred. The footage suggested significant structural damage to the property and the surrounding area.

Residents reported hearing a loud blast followed by chaos as emergency services and security forces rushed to the scene. Security forces cordoned off the area shortly after the explosion to allow rescue operations and investigations to proceed.

Volatile Situation in Afghanistan

The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021 following the withdrawal of United States and NATO forces, pledging to restore nationwide security. While large-scale violence has decreased since then, bombings and targeted attacks have continued to occur, particularly in urban areas.

Many of the previous attacks in Kabul have been claimed by the local affiliate of the Islamic State group, also known as ISIL or ISIS, which remains active despite Taliban security operations.

Shahr-e-Naw has previously been targeted in high-profile incidents due to its concentration of foreign-linked facilities and businesses, though such attacks have become less frequent in recent years.

Separately, Chinese state media reported that one Afghan security guard was killed and two Chinese nationals were injured following an explosion at a restaurant in Kabul on Monday. Afghan authorities did not immediately clarify whether this incident was linked to the blast in Shahr-e-Naw or occurred at a different location.

Officials said investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the explosion, confirm the final casualty figures, and establish whether the incident was deliberate. Authorities have urged the public to remain calm as security and emergency teams continue their work at the site.