Several killed in blast in Afghan capital Kabul: Taliban interior ministry

Blast occurs in Shahr-e-Naw area, home to foreigners and considered one of most secure areas in capital

Reuters

January 19, 2026

A Taliban fighter stands guard as Afghan medical staff members wait at the entrance of a hospital to receive the victims of an explosion in Kabul on October 3, 2021. — AFP

Several people were killed in a blast in the Afghan capital Kabul's Shahr-e-Naw area, the Taliban interior ministry said on Monday.

"According to preliminary reports, a number of people were killed and injured," Interior Ministry spokesperson Abdul Mateen Qani told Reuters.

Kabul police spokesperson Khalid Zadran said the blast targeted a hotel in the commercial Shahr-e-Naw neighbourhood that includes large office buildings, shopping complexes and embassies.

The area is considered one of the safest parts of Kabul.

No group has claimed responsibility for the blast.

The Taliban took control of the war-torn country in 2021 and said it would restore security, but attacks have continued, many of them claimed by the local arm of the militant Islamic State group.