UN Security Council Condemns Kabul Terror Attack Killing Chinese National

In a press statement on Wednesday (local time), the members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the heinous terrorist attack claimed by the Islamic State-Khorasan Province.

The attack, which occurred at a restaurant in a commercial neighbourhood of Kabul, resulted in the killing of six Afghans and one Chinese national, as well as the wounding of several others, including a child, reports Xinhua news agency.

The council members expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the people of Afghanistan and China, and they wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured.

They underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice, while urging all states to cooperate actively with all relevant authorities in this regard.

Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to peace and security in Afghanistan, as well as in the world, said the council members, and they reaffirmed the need for all states to combat by all means threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.

Meanwhile, earlier on January 20, a day after an explosion outside a Chinese restaurant in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, caused multiple casualties, including the death of one Chinese citizen, Beijing once again urged the Chinese citizens not to travel to Afghanistan "in the near future".

"China has lodged an urgent protest with Afghanistan, demanding that Afghanistan do its utmost to treat the wounded, take further effective measures to protect the safety of Chinese citizens, projects, and institutions in Afghanistan, and promptly investigate the truth and punish the perpetrators," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters during a regular media conference in Beijing on Tuesday.

The spokesperson stated that officials of the Chinese Embassy in Afghanistan have visited the hospital where the wounded are being treated to express their condolences.

"China strongly condemns and firmly opposes terrorism in all its forms, and supports Afghanistan and other countries in the region in their joint efforts to combat all forms of terrorist violence. In light of the current security situation in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs once again reminds Chinese citizens not to travel to Afghanistan in the near future. Chinese citizens and enterprises already in Afghanistan should enhance their awareness of security, strengthen security measures, and evacuate from high-risk areas as soon as possible," he added.

- IANS