Taliban cleric Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani killed in blast in Kabul: officials

Published August 11, 2022
nfluential cleric Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani during an interview with the BBC in May this year. — Photo courtesy: BBC News
nfluential cleric Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani during an interview with the BBC in May this year. — Photo courtesy: BBC News

A prominent Taliban cleric, Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani, was killed in an attack in a seminary in Kabul when the attacker detonated explosives hidden in a plastic artificial leg on Thursday, according to officials and Taliban sources.

"Very sadly informed that respected cleric (Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani) was martyred in a cowardly attack by enemies," said Bilal Karimi, a spokesperson for the Taliban administration.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the blast.

Four Taliban sources told Reuters that the attacker was someone who had previously lost his leg and had hidden the explosives in a plastic artificial leg.

"We are investigating who this [...] person was and who had brought him to this important place to enter the personal office of Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani. It's a very huge loss for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," said one senior Taliban official of the interior ministry, referring to the group's name for its administration.

Haqqani was a prominent cleric in the Taliban who had survived previous attacks, including a large blast in the northern Pakistani city of Peshawar in 2020 claimed by the Islamic State that killed at least seven people.

The Taliban say they have restored security since they took over as foreign forces withdrew almost a year ago. However, regular attacks, many of them claimed by Islamic State, have taken place in recent months, often targeting religious and ethnic minorities as well as Taliban leaders.

Opinion

Editorial

Furtive measures
Updated 07 Sep, 2024

Furtive measures

The entire electoral exercise has become riddled with controversy, yet ECP seems unwilling to address the lingering questions about the polls.
PCB hot seat
Updated 07 Sep, 2024

PCB hot seat

MOHSIN Naqvi is facing criticism from all quarters. Pakistan’s cricket board chief, who is also the country’s...
Rapes most foul
07 Sep, 2024

Rapes most foul

UNTIL the full force of the law is applied on perpetrators, insecurity will stalk Pakistan’s girl children and...
Positive overtures
Updated 06 Sep, 2024

Positive overtures

It is hoped politicians refusing to frame Balochistan’s problems in black and white is taken as a positive overture by the province's people.
Capital poll delay
06 Sep, 2024

Capital poll delay

THE ECP has cancelled the local government elections in Islamabad for the third time subsequent to a recent ...
Perks galore
06 Sep, 2024

Perks galore

A parasitic bureaucracy still upholds colonial customs whereby a struggling citizenry and flood victims are subservient to status.