Bodies of three Catalans killed in Afghanistan to be repatriated on Wednesday

The bodies of the three Catalans killed in Afghanistan last Friday will be repatriated on Wednesday, the Spanish government's delegate in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto, said.

"Tomorrow the bodies will be repatriated so that the relatives can continue their mourning and, of course, bury their loved ones", Said Prieto.

Three Catalans and an Afghan were killed in an Islamic State terrorist attack on Friday. According to a witness, the group was in a market in the city of Bamyan when a person began shooting from an alley. 

As a result of the attack, four foreigners and an Afghan were also wounded, including a woman from the Basque Country who is in serious condition and whose health has deteriorated, the Spanish foreign minister announced.

Two Spaniards with minor injuries have already left Afghanistan. The Spanish government has promised that the special delegation sent by Spain to Kabul will remain until all the tourists affected by the attack have left the country.

The Spanish diplomats sent by the executive are the ambassador to Afghanistan (with the embassy now located in Doha) and a diplomat sent by the Pakistani embassy.

The Catalan women who lost their lives have been identified as Susana Vilar Bühler and her daughter Elena Schröder Vilar, both owners of pharmacies in the Sants neighborhood of Barcelona and Les Arenes in Terrassa. 

The third dead Catalan citizen is identified only as R.B.R., born in Girona.

Moment of silence

The main authorities of Catalonia expressed their condolences to the families of the victims with a minute of silence in the Plaça de Sant Jaume in Barcelona.

Several authorities attended the ceremony, including the mayor of the city, Jaume Collboni, the Catalan acting president, Pere Aragonès, the president of the parliament, Anna Erra, and the delegate of the Spanish government in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto.

There was also a tribute to Toni Espadas, a photographer and tourist guide from Sabadell, who was killed in Ethiopia while working on the television program "Socios por el mundo" for the Chilean channel "Canal 13".

Islamic State branch claims attack

According to a witness, the group was in a market in the city of Bamyan when a person started shooting from an alley. It's reported that four people have been arrested.

Friday's attack took place precisely in an area of Bamyan historically punished by the Taliban regime. The group of six Spanish citizens were part of a larger group of about fifteen tourists. 

Islamic State in the Khorasan Province, a regional branch of the jihadist terrorist group, claimed the attack.

The group's news agency stated on Sunday that fighters of their Organization shot "seven Christians," referring to the Western tourists, and five Shiites.