The IS claim included a threat against Chinese nationals in Afghanistan, linking the attack to China's alleged mistreatment of Uyghur Muslims in the western province of Xinjiang.
The so-called Islamic State (IS) group has claimed responsibility for an explosion at a Chinese restaurant in Afghanistan’s capital that killed at least seven people, including a Chinese national.
The militant group said in a statement posted on its Aamaq news agency late on Monday that a suicide bomber entered a restaurant frequented by Chinese nationals in Kabul and detonated an explosive vest during a gathering.
It said that 25 people were killed or wounded in the attack, including Taliban guards, but those details couldn't be independently verified.
Afghan authorities haven't officially confirmed the cause of Monday's explosion and Interior Ministry spokesperson Mufti Abdul Mateen Qani said on Tuesday that it was still being investigated.
The IS claim included a further threat against Chinese nationals in Afghanistan, linking the attack to China's alleged mistreatment of Uyghur Muslims in the western province of Xinjiang.
While nearly all nations pulled out of Afghanistan following the Taliban offensive of 2021 that led to them seizing Kabul, China has maintained a major economic presence in the country although Beijing has yet to diplomatically recognise Afghanistan’s Taliban-run government.
On Tuesday, China advised its citizens not to travel to Afghanistan after the bombing and asked Chinese people and companies already in the country to strengthen security measures and evacuate from high-risk areas.
"China strongly condemns and resolutely opposes terrorism in all forms and supports Afghanistan and countries in the region in jointly combating all forms of terrorist violent acts," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a daily briefing in Beijing.
He said that one Chinese national was killed and five others were wounded. He added that China is urging Afghan authorities "to make every effort to treat the injured, further take effective measures to protect the safety of Chinese nationals (and) projects," and to find and punish the perpetrators.
The attack happened at a Chinese restaurant in the Shahr-e-Naw district in the city, according to police spokesperson Khalid Zadran. He said on Monday that the restaurant was jointly owned by an Afghan man, a Chinese national and his wife.
The Italian charity EMERGENCY, which operates a surgical centre near the site, said on Monday that it received 20 casualties from the blast, including seven people who were already dead. The number of victims remained provisional, the organisation said.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported two Chinese citizens were seriously wounded and a security guard was killed. Footage aired by Afghan broadcaster Tolo News showed people running along the street as smoke and dust billowed from the area.
Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the explosion, which he attributed to a bomb, in a statement issued by his office.
He accused Afghanistan's Taliban government of failing to uphold ceasefire agreements, particularly commitments to prevent militant groups from using Afghan territory to carry out attacks.