Taliban Minister Khalil Haqqani, on U.S. Terror List, Killed in Kabul Suicide Attack Blamed on ISIS

Dec 11, 2024, 12:29 PM

Afghanistan's Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, Khalil Rahman Haqqani, who was on a $5 million U.S. bounty and the UN sanctions list, was killed in a suicide bombing at the ministry's headquarters in Kabul on Wednesday. The blast occurred inside the ministry compound, reportedly in a mosque during a meeting, and also claimed the lives of at least three of his bodyguards. Haqqani, a prominent figure in the Taliban and uncle of Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, was confirmed dead by the Taliban, who attributed the attack to "Khawarij," their term for ISIS. This marks the first time a cabinet minister in the Taliban government has been killed since their takeover in 2021. Former President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack.