Luke Coffey
The Taliban’s de facto minister of refugees and repatriation, Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani, was killed along with five others in a bomb explosion in Kabul last week. This marked the first time since the Taliban retook Afghanistan in 2021 that a senior member of the group had been assassinated.
Haqqani’s assassination is significant not only because of his role in the Taliban, but also due to his family connections. He was the uncle of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the current de facto interior minister and senior leader of the Haqqani Network. During the early days after the Taliban recaptured Kabul in August 2021, Khalil Haqqani was responsible for the city’s security, making him a difficult target. His nephew oversees Afghanistan’s internal security, adding another layer of complexity to targeting the Haqqani family in Kabul.
While Daesh immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, the situation may not be so straightforward. In the past, Daesh has been known to claim responsibility for attacks it had no part in to boost its image. A more plausible explanation is that this was an inside job, reflecting the fractured nature of the Taliban.
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