KABUL: The United Nations mission in Afghanistan on Thursday condemned an attack claimed by the Islamic State group that killed the refugees minister and several others.
The Minister for Refugees and Repatriation, Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani, was killed on Wednesday afternoon in a suicide bombing at the ministry’s offices in the capital Kabul.
“There can be no place for terrorism in the quest for stability,” the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on X, offering condolences to the victims’ families.
UNAMA condemns the attack at #Afghanistan‘s de facto Ministry of Refugees & Repatriation, in which several persons including the df minister were killed, and others wounded.
There can be no place for terrorism in the quest for stability.
Our condolences to families affected.— UNAMA News (@UNAMAnews) December 12, 2024
The European Union and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation also condemned the attack, along with Qatar, Pakistan and Iran.
Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a suicide attack that killed Afghanistan’s Minister for Refugees at his office in Kabul.
According to The Khorasan Diary, a non-partisan research platform in the region reported that Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) has claimed for the attack.
“The group claimed that one of its fighters waited for former Minister of Refugees, Khalilur Rahman Haqqani and detonated its suicide vest” it added.
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, a militant faction blamed for major attacks during the 20-year war, according to the US State Department.
Ariana News, while citing a reliable source, reported that Khalil Haqqani was killed in a suicide bombing that targeted the ministry of refugee building in Kabul.
The media outlet reported that the explosion happened inside the ministry, which led to the death of Haqqani.
“Unfortunately an explosion happened at the Ministry of Refugees and minister Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani has been martyred along with some of his colleagues,” a government official told AFP, requesting not to be named.
He added that the explosion was caused by a suicide blast.
Khalil Rahman Haqqani, 58, has been the acting Minister of Refugees and Repatriation since September 7, 2021.
Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani was the brother of Jalaluddin Haqqani, who founded the Haqqani network responsible for some of the most violent attacks during the Taliban’s two-decade insurgency.
He was also the uncle of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the current interior minister.
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The Haqqanis are said to be engaged in a struggle for influence within the Taliban authorities, AFP reported.
According to press reports, they are pitted as a pragmatic faction up against supporters of the severe interpretation of Islamic law in line with the Taliban’s supreme leader based in Kandahar.
Several senior Taliban leaders have been killed since their return to power, including provincial governors, commanders and religious clerics, mostly in attacks claimed by the Islamic State group.
Violence has waned in Afghanistan since the Taliban forces took over the country in 2021, ending their war against the United States and NATO-led foreign forces.
The regional chapter of Islamic State, known as Islamic State Khorasan, is active in Afghanistan and has regularly targeted civilians, foreigners and Taliban officials with gun and bomb attacks.
