Kabul suffered a major suicide attack yesterday in which a Uighur Chinese restaurant was targeted, killing seven people—including a Chinese national—and injuring 20 others. ISK, which is claimed to be a chapter of ISIS, has taken responsibility for the attack. Some sources report that several mid‑level Taliban members were also among the casualties. ISK has argued that it targeted Chinese nationals because of alleged atrocities against Uighur Muslims. It is important to deconstruct this narrative to understand the motive and the actors involved. The killing of a Chinese Uighur Muslim in the attack itself nullifies the ISK justification for the crime they claim to have carried out. This contradiction peels off the pulp to the next level and raises deeper questions about who benefits from such an operation and why it occurred at this particular moment.
Afghanistan has made significant progress in the past four years despite being largely isolated by the international community. It has independently engaged with the world against the desires of its old masters, the Pakistani establishment. Kabul has attracted substantial business activity, with over 300 Chinese companies now operating in the country. Afghanistan has signed hundreds of mining contracts, some of which generate millions in revenue every month. The Taliban have also managed to send diplomatic representatives to forty countries, demonstrating a level of international outreach that Pakistan did not anticipate. Kabul has developed close ties with India as well, a development that has not pleased the Pakistani establishment.
Water management is among Afghanistan’s most important achievements, and it has irritated some neighbours, especially Pakistan. Pakistan has twice bombed parts of Afghanistan, including Kabul, killing civilians, including children. Pakistani diplomats have repeatedly called the Afghan government illegitimate and associated it with terrorism. Afghanistan, however, has consistently played a mature politics—encouraging dialogue on bilateral issues and deflecting blame for Pakistan’s internal problems. While accusing Afghanistan of supporting TTP, Pakistani intelligence has been training and sending its proxies disguised as ISK, using the group as convenient cover for subversive activities inside Afghanistan.
Pakistan, which traditionally denied even relative advantage to Afghanistan, is now enraged beyond its wits. The eruption against the gold miner in Takhar, the attack on the Tajik border, and the suicide bombing yesterday all carry the hallmark of ISI. The summer of 2026 may mark the start new complex attacks against Taliban and target senior ledership to weaken and possibly bring a change. Some Taliban members have said that the Pakistani army has established a base in Tirah Valley for ISK to train and launch them into Afghanistan. They have old camps for ISK in Gilgit from where they supply weapons to the Northern Alliance. These patterns suggest a broader strategy rather than isolated incidents.
What is the objective?
1. Scare and chase out investors:
A central objective behind such attacks is to create an atmosphere of fear that discourages foreign investment. Afghanistan’s recent economic gains—particularly in mining, infrastructure, and Chinese‑led commercial activity—pose a direct challenge to actors who benefit from instability. By targeting a Chinese restaurant and killing both Afghan and Chinese nationals, the perpetrators aim to signal that Afghanistan is unsafe for business. If investors withdraw or delay projects, the economic momentum Kabul has built over the past four years becomes vulnerable, weakening the government’s ability to operate independently of external influence.
2. Create insecurity:
Sustained insecurity erodes public confidence and undermines the legitimacy of the Afghan authorities. A high‑profile suicide attack in the capital, especially in a commercial district, is designed to generate maximum psychological impact. It demonstrates that even the most secure areas are penetrable. This climate of fear disrupts daily life, strains security institutions, and diverts resources away from development. For actors seeking to destabilize Afghanistan, insecurity is not a by‑product—it is the intended outcome, a tool to keep the country politically fragile and economically dependent.
3. Pressure the Taliban:
The attack also serves as a strategic lever to pressure the Taliban government at a moment when it is asserting greater autonomy in foreign policy and regional engagement. By creating crises that appear to expose security failures, hostile actors hope to weaken the Taliban’s internal cohesion and international credibility. The narrative of “Taliban incompetence” becomes easier to push when attacks occur in the heart of Kabul. Moreover, if the Taliban are forced to divert attention to internal security challenges, their diplomatic outreach, economic reforms, and regional partnerships—especially those that bypass Pakistan—are slowed or disrupted. This pressure is intended to force Kabul back into a position of dependency and vulnerability.
4- Open pore in North to support Proxies
Insecurity will stretch Taliban and thus provide pores into the northern region of Afghansitan so that Pakistanis can provide supply to its proxies. The Northern Alliance which has political offices in Islamabad and Beharia Town of Pindi are demoralized and cut off from the holded up fighters in north. They need weapons and money for their survival and Pakistan intends to keep them alive and fighting.
The Kabul attack underscores a broader contest over Afghanistan’s emerging autonomy and economic resurgence. The contradictions in ISK’s justification, combined with patterns of cross‑border subversion, point toward actors seeking to undermine Afghanistan’s stability at a moment of growing self‑reliance. By targeting foreign partners, disrupting commercial confidence, and exposing security vulnerabilities, the perpetrators aim to slow Afghanistan’s diplomatic outreach and economic momentum. The attack is therefore not an isolated act of terror but part of a strategic effort to pressure Kabul, weaken its regional posture, and reassert influence over a state increasingly charting its own course.
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect Wesal TV’s editorial policy.
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