https://arab.news/gxsdf
- Khalil Haqqani became a minister in the Taliban’s interim government after foreign forces withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021
- He was a senior leader of Haqqani network, a militant faction the US State Department blames for major attacks during 20-year war
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Wednesday Pakistan was “deeply shocked” as the Afghan Taliban’s acting minister for refugees, Khalil Rahman Haqqani, and six other people were killed in an explosion in the capital Kabul.
Khalil Haqqani 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, a militant faction blamed for major attacks during the 20-year war, according to the US State Department.
“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,” Dar said on X.
“We offer our heartfelt condolences. Pakistan unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We are in touch with the Interim Afghan Government to ascertain further details.”
It was not immediately clear who was behind the blast.
The Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021 as foreign forces withdrew, vowing to restore security, but attacks have continued in urban areas. In 2022, a blast took place near the interior ministry, led by Haqqani network leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, killing four people. In 2023, Daesh claimed an attack outside the Taliban-run foreign ministry that killed at least five.
The US Treasury classified Khalil Haqqani as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” in 2011 and the State Department offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
With inputs from Reuters