The Media Line: ISIS Claims Responsibility for Murder of Three Spanish Tourists and Their Afghan Guide

The Afghan branch of the Islamic State terror group (ISIS-K) claimed responsibility on Sunday for last week’s killing of three Spanish tourists and their local guide in the country’s central Bamyan province.

“[Our] fighters shot at Christian tourists and their Shiite companions with machine guns.” the group said in one of its affiliated Telegram channels, confirming previous suspicions of the Islamic State involvement.

As of Saturday morning, seven suspects had been arrested in connection with the attack, according to Afghanistan’s Taliban-run government.

Abdul Mateen Qaniee, the country’s interim interior minister, also told local media outlets that four additional foreigners and three Afghans were injured in the attack on the crowded market.

The Taliban has allocated significant resources to putting down the Islamic State’s growing insurgency since taking control of the central government in Kabul following the United States withdrawal in late 2021.

The group is concentrated largely in the north and northeastern regions of Afghanistan and parts of western Pakistan.

Widely seen as one of the radical and aggressive branches of the Islamic State, ISIS-K has claimed responsibility for several high-profile mass casualty attacks on civilians, such as those in Russia and Iran.