Three Spanish tourists and an Afghan were killed in a shooting in the popular tourism destination of Bamiyan in central Afghanistan, local and Spanish authorities said.
Afghanistan’s Interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani confirmed the four deaths to AFP, saying the victims were killed in gunfire in Bamiyan city.
Another four foreigners and three Afghans were wounded, he added.
Spain’s foreign ministry said that three of the dead were Spanish tourists, adding that at least one other Spanish national was wounded.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Overwhelmed by the news of the murder of Spanish tourists in Afghanistan.”
The European Union condemned the attack “in the strongest terms.”
“Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the victims who lost their lives and those injured in the attack,” the body said in a statement.
‘Sounds of successive gunshots’
According to preliminary information provided by hospital sources, the wounded were from Norway, Australia, Lithuania and Spain.
Security forces have arrested four people in connection with the attack, Mr Qani said.
He did not say if there had been multiple shooters.
The Taliban government “strongly condemns this crime, expresses its deep feelings to the families of the victims and assures that all the criminals will be found and punished”, Mr Qani said in a statement.
A local resident, who did not want to be named, said he “heard the sounds of successive gunshots, and the city streets leading to the site were blocked immediately by the security forces”.
Bamiyan, home to the giant Buddhas blown up by the Taliban in 2001, is Afghanistan’s top tourist destination.
