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Suicide Bombing kills Afghan Minister from the Haqqani family in Kabul

Afghanistan's minister for refugees, Khalil Haqqani at a gathering held to mark the first anniversary of their return to power in Afghanistan in Kabul on August 15, 2022. (AFP)
Afghanistan's minister for refugees, Khalil Haqqani at a gathering held to mark the first anniversary of their return to power in Afghanistan in Kabul on August 15, 2022. (AFP)
Written by Aparna Rawal

First high profile killing of a Taliban official in Afghanistan

Khalil Rahman Haqqani, the acting minister for refugees and repatriation in the Government of the Islamic Emirate, was killed in a fidayeen / suicide bombing attack at the Ministry of Refugees compound in Kabul on Wednesday, 11 December 2024. Four others are reported to have been killed. While pretending to be a visitor, the suicide bomber is believed to have detonated the bomb while Haqqani was leaving his office to attend prayers. In response to the attack, Islamic Emirate stated: “With deep regret, we have learned that the Minister of Refugees and Repatriation of the Islamic Emirate was martyred this afternoon in a cowardly attack by the Khawarij.”

Simultaneously, Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture has issued a directive to the Afghan media outlets to refer to the death of Khalil Rahman Haqqani as “martyrdom”. This was further reinforced through Saeed Khosty, former spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior, who took to X to announce that local media platforms must abide by using “martyrdom” as a terminology in their coverage.

The attack is yet to be claimed by any group, however the speculation has been placed on the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP). ISKP has been an arch-rival of the Taliban and is known to attack civilians, Taliban officials and military. The assassination of Mullah Dawood Muzammil, the Taliban governor of Balkh, and the killing of Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, the Taliban deputy governor of Badakhshan were all claimed by ISKP.

A former TTP commander, Ehsanullah Ehsan has accused the Pakistan intelligence- the ISI for collaborating with the ISKP through an agreement in a quid pro quo approach. ISKP would be expected to curb Pakistan’s Tehreek – e- Taliban Pakistan (TTP) threat while Pakistan would furnish the outfit with resources, logistics and aid to carry its anti Taliban operations.

Additionally, the attack comes a day after the Russian parliament voted to remove the Taliban from Moscow's list of banned terrorist organisations. The state Duma approved the bill in the first of three required readings.

On March 22, 2024, in an attack orchestrated by ISKP, 137 people were killed in Moscow. ISKP’s determination to expand its influence beyond Afghanistan and Pakistan was evident through the attack. Additionally, the absence of a steady continual international counterterrorism efforts in Afghanistan, ISKP has found a permissive operating environment. Hence, Russia’s move to align with Taliban to limit ISKP activities while acknowledging the posing security threats from the outfit.

The Taliban has carried numerous raids on ISKP havens in efforts to wipe out the presence of Islamic State in Afghanistan.

Furthermore, ISKP’s narrative to place itself as the saviour of aggrieved Muslim communities to garner credibility in the jihadist circles also serves its purpose for monopoly on jihad in the region.

The March attack was a response to Russia’s activities in regions like Syria and Chechnya. Given the fall of Russia backed Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria, the speculation of ISKP being responsible for the death of Khalil Haqqani may seem plausible unless claimed otherwise by another group.

Afghanistan's minister for refugees, Khalil Haqqani at a gathering held to mark the first anniversary of their return to power in Afghanistan in Kabul on August 15, 2022. (AFP)
Afghanistan's minister for refugees, Khalil Haqqani at a gathering held to mark the first anniversary of their return to power in Afghanistan in Kabul on August 15, 2022. (AFP)

Who was Khalil Rahman Haqqani?

Khalil Rahman Haqqani was a Pashtun Warlord, a Mujahideen leader and Specially Designated Global Terrorist in Afghanistan. Khalil Haqqani was the brother of Jalauddin Haqqani, the founder of Haqqani network.

Born in Paktia Province of Afghanistan, Khalil Haqqani hailed from the Zadran Pashtun tribe. He was involved in international fundraising for the Taliban and supported Taliban operations in Afghanistan during the Afghan war. He was a close associate of Al Qaeda and even deployed men to bolster the al-Qaida efforts in Paktia Province in 2002.

In 2009, he assisted in the detention of enemy prisoners captured by the Haqqani network and the Taliban.

He is known to have carried the orders of his nephew, Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is the leader of the Haqqani network and who was designated a terrorist in March 2008 under Executive Order 13224.

The United States Department of the Treasury under Executive Order 13224 also designated Khalil Haqqani a Specially Designated Global Terrorist and with a bounty of US$5 million on his head in 2011. The same year, the United Nations made an addendum to paragraph 2 of resolution 1904 (2009), in which Khalil Haqqani was also added to the 1988 Sanctions List for his association with Al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden and the Taliban.

After the US exit from Afghanistan in August 2021, Haqqani was placed in charge of the security for Kabul.

By 7th September 2021, Khalil Haqqani was appointed as Minister of Refugees for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. He was pronounced dead on 11th December 2024 in a fidayeen attack.

About the author

Aparna Rawal

Aparna Rawal is an independent research analyst and writer specializing in Af/Pak region and counter-terrorism. She was the former Editor-in-chief for Voice of Baloch. She possesses MA in International Relations and Diplomacy from Annamalai University, India.

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