Afghan minister killed in Kabul suicide blast

The Afghan minister for refugees Khalil ur-Rahman Haqqani has been killed in a suicide explosion at the ministry's offices in the capital Kabul, his nephew Anas Haqqani said.

"We lost a very brave Mujahid," Anas Haqqani told Reuters, using the Taliban's term for its fighters, meaning a holy warrior. "We will never forget him and his sacrifice."

A government source said that the explosion happened at the Ministry of Refugees and the minister was killed along with some of his colleagues. He added that a suicide blast caused the explosion.

Haqqani was the brother of Jalaluddin Haqqani, who founded the Haqqani network responsible for some of the attacks during the Taliban's two-decade insurgency.

He was also the uncle of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the current interior minister.

The Haqqanis are said to be engaged in a struggle for influence within the Taliban authorities.

Several senior Taliban leaders have been killed since their return to power, including provincial governors, commanders and religious clerics, mostly in attacks claimed by Daesh.

Khalil Haqqani became a minister in the Taliban's interim government after foreign forces withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021.