ISIS Supporters Celebrate Attack On Kabul Hotel Popular With Chinese Nationals, Link Attack To Meeting Between Taliban Officials And Chinese Ambassador

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On December 12, 2022, supporters of the Islamic State (ISIS) published posts on social media celebrating a reported attack on a hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan and speculating that it was planned and carried out by ISIS operatives in Afghanistan. As of this reporting, no statement has been issued by ISIS official media about the attack.

ISIS Supporters Celebrate Attack

"Allah Akbar, a grand event is taking place against the infidels at the Chinese hotel in Kabul. A successful operation, praise be to Allah," wrote supporter "alobaiday" in a post on the ISIS-operated Rocket Chat server. He further shared a link to a report on the attack published by Al-Akhbar, a pro-Lebanese Hizbullah daily.[1]

"Mujrayat Al-Ahdath" (Course of Events), a pro-ISIS Telegram channel, shared two videos that have been circulating on social media showing the hotel under attack. The channel wrote:

"Violent attack in the capital, Kabul. The attack targeted a hotel where international guests, particularly those from China, are staying, in the Shahr-e-Naw area."

Saying the attack was launched that day and is still ongoing, the post claimed several people have been killed and wounded and that the attackers have seized control of the hotel, as confirmed by local sources.

The post further pointed out that the attack comes a few days after Chinese Ambassador Wang Yu visited the hotel, where he met with leaders of the "Taliban militias."[2]

Taliban Spokesman: No Foreigners Were Killed

Meanwhile, the Spokesman of the Afghan Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, tweeted that the attack has ended and the three attackers were killed. He noted that no foreigners were killed, but that two were wounded.

"The attack on a hotel in the Shahr-e-Naw district of Kabul city ended with the killing of three attackers. All hotel guests were saved, and no foreigners were killed. Two foreign guests were injured as a result of their fall after they jumped from the hotel building [fleeing] for their lives," he wrote.[3]