Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, Afghanistan’s acting Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, was killed in a suicide bombing at the Ministry of Refugees in Kabul on Wednesday. This marks the first attack targeting a minister since the Taliban regained power in 2021.
The incident occurred within the ministry compound, which was reportedly hosting training workshops in recent days. The explosion allegedly resulted in the deaths of several other staff members, though the exact number remains unclear, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Haqqani, 58, was under US sanctions and had a $5 million bounty on him for his role in the Haqqani Network, a group responsible for high-profile attacks between 2001 and 2021. He was the brother of Jalaluddin Haqqani, founder of the network, and the uncle of Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani.
Afghanistan, though experiencing fewer bombings under Taliban rule, continues to face threats from competing groups, including ISIS-K, which has previously targeted Taliban officials.