AFP: The Islamic State group on Sunday claimed responsibility for a deadly attack in Afghanistan that targeted tourists and killed three Spaniards and three Afghans. The jihadist group said in a statement on its Telegram channels that “fighters shot at Christian tourists and their Shiite companions with machine guns” in the mountainous city of Bamiyan on Friday. Click here to read (external link).
Killed Four Taliban Members in Takhar, Claims National Resistance Front
Afghanistan International: The National Resistance Front (NRF) has announced that their forces killed four Taliban members and injured two others in an attack on a Taliban vehicle. NRF stated that the attack occurred near the Taliban’s security command in Takhar on Saturday afternoon. According to their social media post on X, the attack took place at 2:45 PM, just 20 meters from the Taliban’s security headquarters in Takhar. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – May 19, 2024
Devastating floods in Ghor risk collapse of Minaret of Jam
Khaama: Following the devastating floods in Ghor province, concerns have increased over the potential collapse of the “Minaret of Jam,” an 800-year-old structure and the oldest mud-brick minaret in the world. Local sources in Ghor province report that recent floods have submerged the Minaret of Jam and nearly destroyed its protective walls. Click here to read more (external link).
3 Taliban Members Killed In Attack On Group’s Leader’s Guards In Kabul, Claims AFF
Afghanistan International: The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) announced that in an attack by its members on the guards of Mullah Hibatullah, the Taliban leader, in Kabul, three members of the group’s special security guard were killed and another Taliban member was injured. The front said that the attack occurred at 8:15pm on Friday near the Shah-Do Shamshira Mosque in the city. Click here to read more (external link).
Rashid Khan returns to Kabul with warm welcome after 4 years
Rashid Khan
Khaama: The Afghanistan Cricket Board has announced Rashid Khan’s return to Kabul after four years. Khan is the captain of the national cricket team and a prominent world-class bowler. Officials of the Afghanistan Cricket Board reported his return to Afghanistan on Saturday, May 18th. Rashid Khan could not travel to the country in recent years due to his busy schedule and participation in various cricket tournaments. Click here to read more (external link).
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Tolo News in Dari – May 18, 2024
Floods kill 50 people in Afghanistan’s Ghor province
Ariana: As many as 50 people died and 10 others went missing following floods in Afghanistan’s western Ghor province on Friday, local officials said. A total of 2,000 houses were destroyed and 4,000 homes were partially damaged in the floods, the provincial police said in a statement. 2,500 shops have been completely destroyed. Click here to read more (external link).
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Taliban raise death toll to 6 in gun attack on Western tourists
Ayaz Gul
VOA News
May 18, 2024
ISLAMABAD — The Taliban government said Saturday that the death toll from an overnight gun attack on Western tourists in central Afghanistan had risen to at least six, including three Spaniards.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Abdul Mateen Qani said in a video statement that the Friday evening shooting in Bamiyan city by unknown assailants left three Afghans dead.
He said that four foreigners and three Afghans were among those wounded. Qani said that Taliban security forces had apprehended seven suspects in connection with the attack, reiterating his government’s resolve to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Spain’s government confirmed the fatalities of its three nationals, saying another was among the injured tourists.
The Spanish foreign ministry said Saturday a group of its diplomats was traveling to the Afghan capital, Kabul, to assist Spaniards affected by the attack.
On Friday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez posted on X that he was “shocked by the news of the murder of Spanish tourists in Afghanistan.”
Nationals from Norway, Australia and Lithuania were also among the group of foreigners that were targeted by gunmen.
EMERGENCY, an international humanitarian organization, said in a statement Sunday that five wounded people were being treated in its Kabul surgical hospital and that “all patients are now stable.”
It stated that the “group consists of nationals from Spain, Lithuania, Norway, Australia and Afghanistan.”
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the deadly shooting.
A spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy at the European Union condemned the armed attack against the tourists visiting Bamiyan.
“Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the victims who lost their lives and those injured in the attack,” Nabila Massrali said in a statement Friday.
The United States said it was “deeply saddened to hear about the shooting attack” in Bamiyan. “Our thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. Violence is not the answer,” Thomas West, the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan, said on X.
Friday’s attack on foreign tourists was the first of its kind since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021.
According to the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Bamiyan, one of the poorest regions in impoverished Afghanistan, is a popular destination for foreign tourists because it contains Buddhist monastic ensembles and sanctuaries.
The scenic city was also the spot where the Taliban destroyed two large Buddha statues in March 2001 during their previous rule in Afghanistan. The group said the statues were blasphemous under Islam.
U.S. ‘Peace’ Institute Calls for Lethal Action in Afghanistan
Michael Hughes: A U.S. congressionally-funded think tank, insidiously named the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), has called on Washington to boost counterterrorism operations, enhance ties with Pakistan, and conduct more lethal strikes inside Afghan territory. Although more likely to come from a national security research outfit, the USIP recommendations are not so unreasonable. But it is easy to envision slipping into a full blow counterterrorism war against the Taliban and its minions.
USIP expert Asfandyar Mir told The Washington Times this week that the institute recommends providing CENTCOM with more spy drones to improve visibility to better conduct over-the-horizon anti-terror operations. Mir, one of the main authors of a new report by the Senior Study Group on Counterterrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan, warned that terror groups like IS-K on the ground are preparing to target U.S. interests, based on the latest “chatter” and the group’s online recruiting efforts.