Afghan Acting Refugee Minister Khalil Rahman Haqqani Killed in Kabul Suicide Bombing

In Afghanistan, acting Minister for Refugees Khalil Rahman Haqqani was killed in a suicide bombing inside his office at the ministry in Kabul yesterday. A suicide bomber, disguised as a visitor, detonated his bomb while Haqqani was signing paperwork.

Interior Ministry described Haqqani’s death as the result of a ‘ferocious attack by the Khawarij,’ a term the Taliban uses to refer to ISIS militants. However, no group or individual immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Six others were also killed in the blast.

 

Khalil Haqqani’s



death is the most high-profile casualty for the Taliban since it regained power in Afghanistan in 2021. His nephew, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the son of Jalaluddin Haqqani, serves as the current interior minister in the Taliban government.       

Khalil Haqqani was a prominent member of the Haqqani network, a powerful faction within the Taliban that the US designated as a global terrorist organization in 2011. The US had also offered a reward of up to 5 million dollar for information related to him.