On 19 January 2026 something terrible happened in Kabul. A big explosion went off inside a restaurant in a hotel in the Shahr-eNaw district. This restaurant was in a part of the city where a lot of people go to shop and do business. At seven people were killed in the explosion and one of them was from China. Several other people were hurt, including women and a kid. The Shahr-e-Naw district is usually a safe place in Kabul with many embassies, businesses, shops and hotels so it was a big shock that something, like this happened there.
Location and Immediate Impact
The Chinese Noodle restaurant got hit by a blast. This restaurant is in a hotel on Golfroshi Street in Shahr-e-Naw. Shahr-e-Naw is the downtown area of Kabul. The Chinese Noodle restaurant was run by a man named Abdul Majid. He is a Muslim. His wife and an Afghan man named Abdul Jabbar Mahmood helped him run the restaurant. The Chinese Noodle restaurant is a place for the Chinese Muslim community, in the city to eat.
The police in Kabul said that Khalid Zadran told them something bad happened. There was an explosion near the kitchen of a restaurant. This explosion killed one person from China named Ayub and six people from Afghanistan. A lot of people who were not doing anything wrong got hurt too. The people who help in emergencies and the hospitals in Kabul had a lot of work to do because many people were hurt in this attack. The explosion was very bad for the people in Kabul, for the Chinese national Ayub and the six Afghan nationals who died.
The Italian humanitarian organization EMERGENCY said that its surgical centre in Kabul got 20 people who were hurt from the blast. Sadly seven of these people from the blast were already dead when they arrived at the EMERGENCY centre in Kabul. The people who were hurt from the blast and were taken to the EMERGENCY centre in Kabul included four women and a child from the blast. Some of the people who were hurt from the blast needed to see a doctor away at the EMERGENCY surgical centre, in Kabul.
Claim of Responsibility and Motive
The Islamic States Afghan affiliate, which people often call ISKP said they did the attack. They put out a statement through their news agency, Amaq. In this statement the Islamic States Afghan affiliate said that the explosion happened because of a person who blew themselves up. They said this attack was meant to hurt nationals. The Islamic States Afghan affiliate said they did this because of the things the Chinese government is doing to the Uighurs. The Uighurs are a group of people who live in the Xinjiang region of China. The Islamic States Afghan affiliate is talking about the government being mean to the Uighurs and not treating them fairly. The Islamic States Afghan affiliate and other people say that the Chinese government is doing things to the Uighurs.
People who care about rights have said for a long time that Beijing is treating Uighurs very badly. China says this is not true and that people are only saying this because they want to cause trouble. The attack in Kabul is a deal because it involves people who want to fight in that region but it also affects how countries get along with each other around the world. Uighurs are still a part of the problem and Chinas actions, towards Uighurs are still an issue.
Security and Investigation
The big explosion in Kabul has made the people in charge look at security again. This is because there have been terrorist attacks in Kabul even though the Taliban has been in control since 2021. The Talibans Interior Ministry said that people died and got hurt in the explosion. They did not say much about what exactly happened. They said they are still trying to figure out what happened and that is why they do not have all the details yet. The Talibans Interior Ministry is still investigating the explosion, in Kabul.
Shahr-e-Naw is a part of Kabul that people think is pretty safe and has a lot of money.. Even so there have been times when it gets violent. This is because groups that like the Islamic State are trying to cause trouble for the Taliban. They are also trying to hurt people and foreigners who live or visit Shahr-e-Naw and other parts of Kabul. The Taliban is, in charge but the Islamic State groups do not like that so they are fighting against them in Shahr-e-Naw and other places.
Regional and Diplomatic Reactions
While official responses from China and other countries are still emerging, the attack is likely to affect security assessments for foreign nationals and businesses operating in Afghanistan. The incident underscores ongoing instability in Kabul and the continued threat posed by militant groups like ISKP to civilian populations, diplomatic missions, and commercial interests.
