Suicide explosion kills Afghan minister Khalil Haqqani

KABUL: The Afghan minister for refugees was killed on Wednesday in a suicide bombing at the ministry’s offices in the capital Kabul, government sources said, blaming the Islamic State group for the attack which has not been claimed.

Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid deplored “a cowardly attack” carried out by the Islamic State (IS) group, saluting a “great fighter” who “fell as a martyr”. The explosion, which was the first attack targeting a minister since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, “happened at the Ministry for Refugees and minister Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani has been martyred along with some of his colleagues,” a government source told AFP, requesting anonymity. He added that the explosion was caused by a suicide blast.

The roads leading to the ministry were blocked by Taliban authorities, with security personnel posted on surrounding rooftops. The ministry’s account on X said training workshops were held in recent days on its premises. The ministry’s corridors are full daily of numerous displaced people coming to request assistance or to follow up on resettlement cases in a country that still has more than three million war-displaced. Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani -- who never appeared without an automatic weapon in his hand -- was the brother of Jalaluddin Haqqani, founder of the feared Haqqani network responsible for some of the most violent attacks during the Taliban’s two-decade insurgency. He was also the uncle of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the current interior minister. Khalil Ur-Rahman’s nephew, Anas Haqqani, praised his uncle, saying he “reached the highest level of martyrdom”, and condemned his killing by “those who apparently claim to follow the blessed religion of Islam”, in a post on X.

The Haqqanis are said to be engaged in a struggle for influence within the Taliban authorities.

According to press reports, they are pitted as a pragmatic faction up against supporters of the severe interpretation of Islamic law in line with the Taliban’s supreme leader based in Kandahar. Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani, who was 58, had been on US and UN sanctions lists, with Washington offering $5 million for information on him.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Wednesday expressed condolences on death of Acting Afghan Minister Khalil ur Rehman Haqqani and loss of precious lives as a result of a terrorist attack in the Afghan Refugee Ministry in Kabul.

“We are deeply shocked at the death of Acting Afghan Minister, Khalil ur Rehman Haqqani and loss of precious lives as a result of a terrorist attack in the Afghan Refugee Ministry in Kabul today. We offer our heartfelt condolences,” the DPM/FM posted on his X handle.

He further reiterated that Pakistan unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, adding “We are in touch with the Interim Afghan Government to ascertain further details.”