Attack on Chinese guesthouse

A video shared on social media shows smoke billowing and a fire at a lower floor of a hotel in the Shahr-e-Naw area in Kabul on December 12. Armed men opened fire on December 12 inside a hotel in central Kabul that housed some foreigners, two Taliban sources told Reuters, in the latest violence in Afghanistan as it tries to stabilize after the withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign forces. The firing was continuing in the hotel in the Shahr-e-Naw area and a fire broke out on one of the floors, the sources said, adding that they expect casualties. Residents of the area said the attack was carried out at a building where Chinese and other foreigners usually stay. The shooting continued after they heard a powerful explosion, they said. China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported that the attack took place near a Chinese guesthouse and that its embassy in Kabul was closely monitoring the situation. Several bombing and shooting attacks have taken place in Afghanistan in recent months, some of which have been claimed by Islamic State militants. The Islamist Taliban, who seized power after U.S.-led foreign forces withdrew in August 2021, have said they are focused on securing the country.