Afghanistan’s refugees minister Khalil Rehman killed in explosion: nephew

(AFP): The Afghan Taliban’s acting minister for refugees, Khalil Rahman Haqqani, and six other people were killed in an explosion in the capital Kabul on Wednesday, his nephew Anas Haqqani said.

The Taliban spokesperson said in a statement that Khalil had been killed by the banned Islamic State (IS) militant group, who did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack.

“We lost a very brave mujahid,” Anas Haqqani told Reuters. “We will never forget him and his sacrifice.”

“Unfortunately an explosion happened at the Ministry of Refugees and minister Khalil Rahman Haqqani has been martyred along with some of his colleagues,” a government source told AFP, requesting not to be named.

He became a minister in the Taliban’s interim government after foreign forces withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021. He was a senior leader of the Haqqani network. He was also the uncle of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the current interior minister.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar extended his condolences on the death and the loss of lives in the attack in a post on X.

“Pakistan unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We are in touch with the Interim Afghan Government to ascertain further details.”

Violence has waned in Afghanistan since the Taliban forces took over the country in 2021, ending their war against the United States and Nato-led foreign forces.

However, the regional chapter of IS, known as IS-Khorasan, is active in Afghanistan and has regularly targeted civilians, foreigners and Taliban officials with gun and bomb attacks.

In 2022, a blast took place near the interior ministry, killing four people. In 2023, IS claimed an attack outside the foreign ministry that killed at least five.

The US Treasury classified Khalil as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” in 2011 and the State Department offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest.

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

Several senior Taliban leaders have been killed since their return to power, including provincial governors, commanders and religious clerics, mostly in attacks claimed by IS.