Taliban Minister Khalil Haqqani Killed in Suicide Bombing in Kabul, IS Claims Responsibility

CGC News Reporter December 12, 2024

Khalil Haqqani, the Taliban’s refugee minister, was killed in a suicide bombing inside the interior ministry in Kabul, marking the movement’s most high-profile casualty since its return to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Haqqani, a senior member of the Haqqani network—a powerful faction within the Taliban—was leaving his office when the blast occurred, which also claimed the lives of six others, according to interior ministry sources.

The Islamic State group (IS) later claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement issued by its Amaq news agency, IS confirmed that a militant had detonated explosives outside Haqqani’s office as he exited. A Taliban spokesperson confirmed the death of Haqqani, who had been designated a global terrorist by the U.S. government.

Khalil Haqqani’s brother, Jalaluddin, was a renowned guerrilla leader who fought against Soviet forces in the 1980s and founded the Haqqani network, which was behind numerous attacks during the Taliban’s 20-year insurgency. His nephew, Sirajuddin Haqqani, now serves as Afghanistan’s interior minister. While security in Afghanistan has improved since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, the country continues to experience frequent bombings and suicide attacks, many of which are claimed by the Islamic State’s regional affiliate, ISKP, a major rival of the Taliban.