KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Following the recent IS-KP attack on foreign tourists in central Bamyan province, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation warned its citizens against traveling to Afghanistan, especially for personal purposes such as tourism.
In a press release published on Monday, May 20, the ministry stated that Moscow is alarmed by the reports of a terrorist attack on foreign tourists in Bamyan city of Afghanistan, which killed and injured foreign citizens.
“Against the backdrop of the ongoing extremely difficult security situation in Afghanistan, the Russian Foreign Ministry strongly recommends that Russian citizens refrain from visiting this country for personal, including tourism purposes.”
Local sources reported an armed attack on Friday, May 17, in Afghanistan’s central Bamyan province, which killed six people, including three foreign tourists from Spain and three citizens of Afghanistan.
Additionally, the attack left at least seven people injured, among them four foreign tourists – one each from Spain, Australia, Norway, and Lithuania – along with three Afghans.
The Taliban Ministry of Interior claims that its security forces have arrested seven suspects in connection with the incident, without providing further details about their identities.
According to Mohammad Khwani Rasa, the spokesman for the Taliban police in Bamyan, two women were among the deceased, and two women were among the injured foreign nationals.
A day later, the local branch of Islamic State, IS-KP, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that it targeted foreign tourists and Hazara-Shias in the province. The terrorist group claimed that seven foreign tourists and five ‘Shia Hazaras’ were killed and injured in the attack.
Similar travel advisories have been issued by other nations, such as the US, UK, Germany, Russia, and Australia, citing security concerns.
Last year, the US Department of State cautioned American citizens against traveling to Afghanistan due to persistent security issues, including terrorism, kidnapping, wrongful detention, and criminal activities.
In a travel advisory issued in December 2023, the department cited the presence of multiple active terrorist groups and emphasized that US citizens are particularly targeted for kidnapping and wrongful detention.
The department also urged US citizens still in Afghanistan to leave the country immediately using commercial means “if possible.”
Although IS-KP has long tormented Shia Hazaras across Afghanistan, especially in the capital Kabul, the community socio-cultural epicenter in Bamyan had largely remained safe. The Friday attack again raised the alarm about the vulnerability of a minority group that has lost any means of protection or political representation under the Taliban, a group with a rich history of persecuting them.
Community activists worry that continuing attacks like the one on Friday will not only take away the means of their socio-economic survival by deterring tourism but will also try to change their tolerant and liberal way of life, a socio-cultural trait they have preserved under decades of persecution and in the midst of brutal conflict and violence.
