A suicide bomber killed Taliban refugee minister Khalil Haqqani and six others Wednesday inside Kabul’s interior ministry, in the most significant attack on Taliban leadership since the movement returned to power in 2021.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility through its Amaq news agency, reporting that a militant waited outside the minister’s office and detonated explosives as Haqqani exited. Taliban officials confirmed IS’s role in the attack.
Haqqani, designated a global terrorist by the United States, belonged to the influential Haqqani network within the Taliban. His brother Jalaluddin, who founded the network, gained prominence fighting Soviet forces in Afghanistan during the 1980s. Haqqani’s nephew Sirajuddin currently serves as interior minister in the Taliban government.
The attack highlights ongoing security challenges in Afghanistan despite improved conditions since the Taliban’s return to power following U.S. troop withdrawal in 2021. Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), the regional IS affiliate and Taliban rival, continues to conduct dozens of bombings and suicide attacks annually across the country.
