Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani, the acting minister for refugees in Afghanistan’s Taliban government, was killed in an explosion Wednesday at the ministry’s headquarters in the capital Kabul.
“We lost a very brave Mujahid,” his nephew Anas Haqqani told Reuters, using the Taliban’s term for its fighters, meaning a holy warrior. “We will never forget him and his sacrifice.”
A senior official at the Taliban-run Ministry of Interior told CBS News the minister was killed in a suicide attack along with at least four of his associates. The assailant had disguised himself as a visitor with a physical disability, and targeted Haqqani with his explosive device as the minister left his office to attend prayers, he said.
While no one has claimed responsibility for the attack so far, the Taliban has faced repeated attacks on its senior figures and security forces since assuming power, mostly by the ISIS, or Islamic State.
Haqqani, the uncle of prominent Taliban leader and interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani and a brother of Jalaluddin Haqqani, the late founder of the notorious “Haqqani network, became a minister in the Taliban’s interim government after foreign forces withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021.
Khalil’s death is the most high-profile casualty in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in the country in August 2021.
Designated Terrorist
The Haqqani network was behind major attacks on coalition forces in Afghanistan, and in 2011, Khalil was designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the U.S.
Impact On Taliban
Haqqani’s death will be a significant loss for the Taliban government, as his current role involved handling the refugee crisis in the country.
Last month, he criticized neighboring countries for mistreating Afghan refugees and urged them to halt expulsions of Afghans seeking safety abroad. Haqqani also called for Afghan refugees to return home, asserting that the Taliban’s governance under Sharia law ensured security and stability in the country.
(with inputs from Reuters)
