Afghan Taliban's refugees minister killed in Kabul blast

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.

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.

"We lost a very brave Mujahid," Anas Haqqani told Reuters, using the Taliban's term for its fighters, meaning a holy warrior. "We will never forget him and his sacrifice." He said the blast took place as Khalil Haqqani was leaving a mosque after afternoon prayers.

The government's chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in a post on X that Haqqani's death was a great loss and described him as a tireless holy warrior who spent his life defending Islam.

Haqqani's killing may be the biggest blow to the Taliban since their return to power given his stature and influence, according to Michael Kugelman, director of the Wilson Center's South Asia Institute.

It also comes at a time when the Taliban have staked their legitimacy on restoring peace after decades of war, he added.

"The killing of a top Haqqani leader inside one of its own ministries undercuts that core narrative," he said. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar condemned the killing as a "terrorist attack."

"Pakistan unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," Dar said, adding his government was in touch with Kabul to get 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.

Agencies