The Assassination of Taliban’s Minister of Refugees: Internal Conflicts or ISIS Infiltration?

The assassin of Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, a prominent Taliban member, was a Pashtun recruited by ISIS. This assassination stemmed from internal conflicts within the Taliban and discriminatory practices in the Ministry of Interior.

Rumors suggest the assassination was orchestrated as part of an internal Taliban purge.

According to reports, the assassin of Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, Acting Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, was a Pashtun Taliban member who favored the Kandahari faction but was recruited by ISIS. Due to dissatisfaction with discrimination by the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior against him and other Pashtuns, he carried out the assassination under ISIS orders.

Haqqani had been critical of the Kandahar faction’s policies within the Taliban and opposed the changes in Taliban officials imposed by this faction, deeming them detrimental to the Emirate of Afghanistan. His criticisms displeased the Taliban leader, leading to rumors of the assassination being staged as part of an internal power struggle among security officials and the Ministry of Interior.

Members of the Haqqani faction argue that despite the Taliban’s strict measures to monitor individuals’ connections to the Emirate’s authorities, questions arise as to how an ISIS member could easily approach Haqqani’s mosque and successfully assassinate him.

It is worth noting that Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani had a long history of fighting in the Taliban’s wars in Afghanistan and had been arrested and imprisoned multiple times by the former government. The U.S. had even set a $5 million reward for his capture.