Afghan minister killed in Kabul suicide blast

Khalilur Rahman Haqqani died in explosion inside ministry building

KABUL/ISLAMABAD:

Afghan Refugees Minister Khalilur Rahman Haqqani was killed on Wednesday in a suicide bombing at the ministry's offices in the capital Kabul, the interim Afghan government said, blaming the Islamic State group for the attack.

Three of Haqqani's bodyguards were among the dead and eight others wounded in the suicide attack, claimed by the Islamic State (IS) on its Aamaq website. Sources said that the blast took place while Haqqani was leaving after the Zuhr prayers.

The suicide blast, which was the first attack targeting a minister since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, "happened at the Ministry for Refugees and Minister Khalilur Rahman Haqqani has been martyred along with some of his colleagues," a government source told AFP.

Haqqani's nephew, Anas Haqqani told Reuters that his uncle and six other people were killed in an explosion, adding that the blast took place as Haqqani was leaving the mosque after prayers. "We lost a very brave Mujahid. We will never forget him and his sacrifice."

Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed "a cowardly attack" carried out by the IS group, as he saluted a "great fighter" who "fell as a martyr". After the attack, Taliban authorities blocked the roads leading to the ministry, and deployed shooters on the rooftops in the area.

The source said that the attacker reportedly hidden explosives under arm plastered bandage, and passed a beeping metal detector scanner at the ministry, claiming that he had a metal rod in his arm due to a bone fracture. "That was how he smuggled the explosives inside," the source added.

Late Haqqani, one of the senior-most leader in the Haqqani Network was the brother of the group's founder Jalaluddin Haqqani and the uncle of the current Interior Minister Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani. He was also known as one of "the tank experts during the war against the Russian invasion in the 1980s.

Khalilur Rahman Haqqani was at the vanguard of the 1991 conquest of Khost after its 13-year siege. He was then one of the first and more prominent leaders, who entered Kabul after playing a significant role in the Taliban return in 2021.

The interim Afghan government said that he was "a tireless Mujahid in the way of God". Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said in a statement that he was "shocked" by the attack. "Pakistan unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," he added.

Haqqani was born in January, 1966 in Paktia province of Afghanistan. As minister of refugees and repatriation since 2021, he was responsible for handling the refugee crisis in the war-torn country. Less than two weeks ago, he had discussed humanitarian assistance with the Chinese ambassador.

Haqqani and his family were all senior members of the Haqqani Network. The network was founded by Haqqani's brother Jalaluddin Haqqani in the late 1970s. The network is believed to be behind the Taliban's rise to the power and is now an integral part of the Taliban government.

The network has also been suspected of aiding in al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's escape from Tora Bora in 2001. The network was designated by the US as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) in 2012. Haqqani was also listed in the UN's 1988 Sanctions list for being associated with al-Qaeda.

During the conflict years after the US invasion of Afghanistan, the Haqqani family set up an international fundraising network. Khalil Haqqani was engaged in fundraising activities on behalf of the Taliban. After September 2009, he had travelled to raise funds from sources in the Gulf states and South and East Asia.

The death of Haqqani indicated their loose control in Afghanistan and might increase challenges for the Taliban in maintaining security in the country, according to experts on the region. "It's really a blow to the Haqqani Network," a security analyst from Jalalabad told The Express Tribune.

"He was killed inside the ministry which would have far-reaching impact on the security parameters across Kabul. Only the IsKP [IS-Khorasan] has the capability to carry out such a huge blow, as it already did in Badakhshan, Mazar-i-Sharif and elsewhere in Afghanistan," he added.

(WITH INPUTS FROM AGENCIES)