Anniversary of Khalil-ul-Rahman Haqqani’s Assassination Reveals Claims of ISIS Involvement from Balochistan

On the first anniversary of the assassination of Khalil-ul-Rahman Haqqani, the former Minister of Refugees for the Taliban, affiliated media outlets have released videos claiming to contain confessions from ISIS members, asserting that the planning and direction of the operation to kill him took place in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.

Operation Directed from Balochistan

In the video, an individual identifying himself as Hamza claims responsibility for orchestrating the attack on Haqqani. He explicitly states that the operation was devised in Balochistan, Pakistan, and names a person called Osman as the direct perpetrator. He also claims that the necessary training for executing the operation occurred in Balochistan under the security umbrella of Pakistan.

Tensions Between Taliban and Pakistan

Khalil-ul-Rahman Haqqani was killed a year ago in a suicide bombing at the Ministry of Refugees, an attack for which ISIS’s Khorasan branch claimed responsibility. This case is multifaceted in its implications. Some experts believe his death has weakened the position of the Haqqani network. Furthermore, this situation exacerbates the ongoing tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan, with both sides accusing each other of harboring hostile insurgent groups. The Taliban asserts through the released videos that Balochistan serves as a training and supply center for ISIS, while Islamabad refutes this, accusing the Taliban of turning Afghanistan into a haven for regional and global terrorist organizations, including the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).