London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 29, 2026

Afghanistan: Taxi driver, shopkeeper: UK victims of Kabul attack

Afghanistan: Taxi driver, shopkeeper: UK victims of Kabul attack

An Uber driver from Hampshire and a shopkeeper from north London were among those who died in the Kabul attack.

Mohammad Niazi and Musa Popal were killed after a blast shook the Afghan capital on Thursday.

Zohra Popal said her father was said to be waving his British passport at US troops when the explosion occurred.

Mr Popal, 60, and Mr Niazi, died as thousands waited for evacuation outside Kabul airport after the Taliban seized control of the city.

The UK Foreign Office has so far confirmed two British nationals and the child of a British national were killed in the attack.

Mr Popal ran the Madeena Supermarket in Hendon, north London, for more than 20 years and had travelled to Afghanistan in June with his wife to visit family.

His daughter Zohra said her mother survived the blast, but Mr Popal's 14-year-old grandson Hameed was still missing.

Hameed Popal remains missing after the attack on Thursday

Zohra, who moved to the UK to join her parents in 2014, said: "My mother, she had to crawl away, covered in blood and pieces of people. She saw everything.

"There was blood everywhere, she told us, and they were slipping in it when they were trying to get up.

"It was so loud that some of them are still deaf and can't hear each other. It was a living nightmare for them.

"Had we known anything like this would happen, we wouldn't have let them go."

Mr Popal ran the Madeena Supermarket in Hendon for more than two decades

She said her mother had lost everything in the bombing, including her documents, and that she and other relatives were still in danger after the UK's withdrawal on Saturday.

Describing her father as "loving" and "supportive", Ms Popal said he had always helped her with her assignments at the College of North West London.

Ms Popal said she had yet to be contacted by the Foreign Office following her father's death.

Mohammad Niazi - a taxi driver living in Farnborough - was also killed in the attack after he travelled to Afghanistan to help his family get inside the airport.

Friends believe his Afghan wife and children - who were thought to be having visa problems - were also killed.

One of his friends, Dinez Carnay, said Mr Niazi had told him he was flying to Afghanistan to get his family and that was the last he had heard.He told the BBC: "When you know somebody and suddenly you learn he passed away, especially in a very difficult circumstance, then all you have to do is to pray for the soul."

Mr Niazi's brother Abdul Hamid said he was killed during the firing in the aftermath of the blast.

As many as 170 people died in the suicide attack, including 13 US service personnel.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
NHS Leaders Warn Royal Mail Tariff Increases Will Raise Administrative Costs
Immigration Remains the Public's Top Concern in Britain, Ipsos Poll Finds
Britain Approves 16 New Grid Storage Projects to Strengthen Electricity Network
London-Listed Merger Activity Climbs Even as IPO Market Remains Weak
Institute of Directors Warns High Energy Costs and Taxes Continue to Weigh on UK Businesses
North Sea Industry Calls for Faster Approval of £10 Billion Rosebank and Jackdaw Projects
UK Inflation Eases to 2.6% but Higher Energy Costs Could Renew Price Pressures
Burnham Holds Talks With Saudi and Qatari Leaders on Middle East Security and Energy
Burnham and Zelenskyy Announce UK Electronic Warfare Technology Cooperation During London Visit
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Launches Cross-Party Push for Social Care Reform in England
Trump says Israel ‘would not survive’ without US
France Evacuates Atlantic Coast Resorts as Wildfire Risk Rises Again
Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake Strikes Kumamoto as Rescuers Search Collapsed Buildings
OpenAI Faces Demands for Full Disclosure After Models Breach Hugging Face
Nvidia Reportedly Takes Vast Texas Data-Centre Lease to Underwrite AI Expansion
Royal Collection Trust Income Falls as Palace Visits Retreat From Record Highs
FIFA’s Private-Investment Plan for World Cup Rights Draws European Revolt
Ministers Examine Social-Care Levy as Burnham Seeks Funding Settlement
UK Attractions Sector Forecast to Add £587 Million in Visitor Spending
England Coast Path Extends With New Suffolk Estuary Walking Route
Attorney General Wins Longer Jail Term for Fatal Dangerous Driving Case
Andrew and Tristan Tate Remain in U.S. Custody Pending UK Extradition
Royal Fleet Auxiliary Workers Secure Above-Inflation Pay Deal
Prime Minister Seeks Cross-Party Agreement on Social Care Reform
Court Upholds Competition Ruling Against Drugmakers Over Hydrocortisone Prices
UK Unveils Major Technical Education Reform for Secondary Schools
UK Judge Rebukes Home Office Over AI-Generated Errors in Asylum Case
UK and Ukraine Agree to Share Electronic Warfare Technology
Apple Briefly Crosses Five Trillion Dollar Valuation as Investors Retreat From AI Bets
Badenoch Offers Tory Votes to Keep Serious Offenders in Prison
Why Americans Queue for $15 Ice Cream and a $100 Caviar Pint
Another AI Genius Left the United States — and Silicon Valley Is Starting to Worry
Shein Reports $99mn Loss as Trade Barriers Test Low-Cost Model
CXMT Gains 466% in China’s Biggest IPO Since 2010
Amazon Seeks Approval for 5,105-Satellite Mobile Network
Burnham Puts School-to-Work Reform at Centre of Welfare Strategy
Johnson & Johnson Agrees to $5.5 Billion Talc Lawsuit Settlement
EU AI Act Shapes Global Corporate Standards, Study Finds
UK-Japan Relations Expected to Deepen Under Burnham Government
Burnham Signals Tough Decisions on Council Tax Reform
UK Inflation Slows to 2.6% in June
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 3.75%
Prime Minister Burnham Opens Talks With Business Leaders on Economic Growth
Government Launches 'Number Ten North' to Drive UK Devolution
Labour Regains Poll Lead After Burnham's First Weeks in Office
Prime Minister Burnham Rules Out Early UK General Election Before 2029
Burnham Rules Out Replacing Council Tax and Stamp Duty
Fresh Heatwave Threatens to Rekindle France’s Historic Wildfire Crisis
The Burnham government is seeking to establish its credibility through ambitious social care reform while maintaining fiscal discipline and public confidence in the National Health Service. Labour's early improvement in opinion polls provides political momentum, but sustained support will depend on delivering tangible policy outcomes. Britain continues to reinforce its role in European security through long-term support for Ukraine, while climate-related risks, including increasingly severe wildfires across England and Scotland, are becoming a more prominent national resilience challenge alongside economic uncertainty.
United Kingdom Economy Remains Exposed to Global Energy Risks
×