Afghanistan's minister for refugees killed in suicide attack

Khalil Haqqani was killed in an explosion at the ministry's offices in Kabul, officials say

Afghanistan's minister for refugees Khalil Haqqani, right, at a refugee camp near the Afghanistan-Pakistan Torkham border in November last year. AFP

Afghanistan's minister for refugees was killed in a suicide attack in Kabul on Wednesday, officials and Afghan media said, becoming the highest profile casualty of a bombing since the Taliban returned to power three years ago.

The explosion hit the refugee ministry's offices in the capital, killing Khalil Haqqani, interior ministry officials told news agency AFP.

Overseas Afghan media outlet Amu TV and newspaper Etilaatroz reported that at least three others were killed in the attack. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Mr Haqqani was the uncle of Sirajuddin Haqqani, Afghanistan's acting interior minister. He was also the brother of Jalaluddin Haqqani, who founded the feared Haqqani network responsible for some of the most violent attacks during a two-decade insurgency by the Taliban between 2001 and 2021.

The Haqqanis are said to be engaged in a struggle for influence within the Taliban authorities. According to press reports, they are pitted as a pragmatic faction against supporters of the severe interpretation of Islamic law in line with the Taliban's supreme leader.

Several senior Taliban leaders have been killed since their return to power, including provincial governors, commanders and religious clerics, mostly in attacks claimed by ISIS. The regional chapter of ISIS, known as Islamic State Khorasan, is active in Afghanistan and has regularly targeted civilians, foreigners and officials in gun and bomb attacks.

However, overall violence has waned in Afghanistan since the Taliban retook the country in 2021, ending their war against the United States and Nato-led foreign forces.