Afghanistan Police reported on Wednesday (January 22) that a Chinese miner was killed in the northern province of Takhar, and a preliminary investigation has been launched.
According to Reuters, it is currently unclear who is behind this attack, and it is uncertain whether it was carried out by armed militants.
Provincial police spokesman Mohammad Akbar Haqqani told Agence France-Presse that the Chinese miner was killed by “unidentified armed individuals” on Tuesday night in Takhar province, which borders Tajikistan in the north.
He stated that the reason for the miner’s travel was “unknown” and that security officials who usually accompany Chinese citizens on their travels were not informed.
Police mentioned that a translator accompanying the victim was not harmed.
Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani confirmed the details of this murder case, stating that the Chinese citizen was a businessman who had signed mining contracts in Afghanistan.
The Chinese Embassy in Kabul did not respond to AFP’s request for comment, and no armed group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.
At the time of this incident, the Taliban government was actively promoting Afghanistan’s abundant natural resources, which have remained undeveloped during the past two decades of war, viewing them as crucial hopes for economic revival and significant opportunities to attract foreign investors.
The Taliban took control of power in 2021, and China was the first regime to appoint an ambassador to Afghanistan, expressing a desire to strengthen bilateral trade and investment relations. However, incidents of attacks on Chinese individuals have been recurring.
In 2022, a hotel in Kabul popular among Chinese investors was attacked, leaving at least five Chinese citizens injured. The Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack.