The minister for refugees in Afghanistan’s Taliban government was killed in an explosion Wednesday at the ministry’s headquarters in the capital Kabul, two senior officials with Taliban regime told CBS News. The blast at the Ministry of Refugees killed minister Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani along with at least a couple of his colleagues, the officials told CBS News’ Sami Yousafzai.
The total number of casualties from the explosion remained unclear, with estimates ranging from several up to 10. The Taliban officials told CBS News investigations were underway to determine who carried out the attack, which they said may have targeted Haqqani, and to confirm how many others were killed in the blast.
Haqqani was the brother of Jalaluddin Haqqani, the late founder of the notorious Haqqani network. The closely affiliated group was responsible for some of the most violent attacks during the Taliban’s two-decade insurgency in the wake of the U.S.-led 2001 invasion to topple the Taliban’s previous government. He was also the uncle of Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is currently serving as Afghanistan’s interior minister.
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Following the collapse of the Western-backed Afghan government in 2021, Khalil Haqqani was one of the few Taliban commanders to enter Kabul. Known for his imposing presence, he often carried his rifle to official meetings, even when meeting with other key figures from the group.
His death represents a significant blow to the Taliban, particularly to the Haqqani network’s leadership. Both the Taliban and the Haqqani network are designated as terrorist organizations by the U.S. government, and while they overlap and both hold key positions in the de-facto regime currently running Afghanistan, they’re also locked in their own internal power struggle.
The U.S. government had offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the capture of Khalil Haqqani.
Violence has generally decreased in Afghanistan since the Taliban stormed back into power in the summer of 2021, when U.S. and allied NATO forces pulled out in a chaotic withdrawal that remains the subject of intense scrutiny in Washington.
The regional branch of the ISIS terror group, however, ISIS-Khorasan, has remained active in Afghanistan and regularly targets both Taliban regime officials and civilians and foreign nationals. Their attacks are seen largely as an effort to undermine the Taliban’s rule.
