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Funeral held in Paktia for martyred Minister of Refugees Khalil Haqqani
Tight security measures were in place on Thursday in Garda Serai district in Paktia province for the funeral of martyred Minister of Refugees and Repatriation Khalil ur-Rahman Haqqani.
Khalil Haqqani was martyred in an explosion on Wednesday inside the ministry in Kabul.
The bombing was claimed by ISIS-K (Daesh).
Khalil Haqqani was the uncle of Afghanistan’s acting Minister of Interior Sirajuddin Haqqani, and the brother of Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder of the Haqqani Network.
The funeral took place in Khalil Haqqani’s home province – where he was born in 1966.
Thousands of people from around the country attended the ceremony, including high-ranking officials. Among those in attendance was Sirajuddin Haqqani, who also addressed those present.
He said Khalil Haqqani had no personal enemies and that Allah will avenge his death.
On Thursday, messages of condolences and condemnation of the attack meanwhile poured in from around the world.
The UN Mission in Afghanistan was among those to condemn the ministry attack and said in a post on X: “There can be no place for terrorism in the quest for stability.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei also extended condolences to the bereaved families and wished a swift recovery for those injured in Wednesday’s blast, Press TV reported.
The United Arab Emirates also “strongly condemned the attack” at the Ministry of Refugees in Afghanistan.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) affirmed that “the UAE expresses its strong condemnation of these criminal acts and its permanent rejection of all forms of violence and terrorism aimed at undermining security and stability in contravention of international law.
“Furthermore, the Ministry expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to Afghanistan and its people, and to the families of the victims of this attack, as well as its wishes for a speedy recovery for all the injured,” the statement read.
Afghanistan’s former president Hamid Karzai also expressed sadness over the “martyrdom” of Khalil Haqqani and said: “With great sorrow, I learned that Khalil Rahman Haqqani, Acting Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, along with a number of our compatriots, has been martyred in an explosion at this ministry.”
Abdullah Abdullah, Afghanistan’s former CEO, also condemned the attack and said in a post on X: “We strongly condemn the terrorist attack on Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani and note that he was a member of an influential jihadi family in Afghanistan that played an important role in the jihad against the former Soviet invasion.
“We pray for the survivors and relatives of the late Haqqani and other martyrs of this incident,” he said.
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Medvedev: IEA posed less threat to Russia than western-backed groups
He added that such organisations have consistently pursued one objective: “to break apart the multiethnic people of Russia.”
Russia’s Deputy Chairman of the Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, has said that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) caused less harm to Russia than Western-backed civic organisations that, he claims, sought to undermine the country’s unity.
In an article published in the Russian journal Rodina, Medvedev wrote that while the IEA had long been designated as a terrorist organisation, its actions did not inflict the same level of damage on Russia as what he described as Western-supported institutions operating under the banner of academic or humanitarian work.
“Let us be honest: the Taliban (IEA) movement, long listed as a terrorist organisation, has caused modern Russia far less damage than all those pseudo-scientific institutions whose aim is to dismantle our country under the guise of aiding the oppressed,” Medvedev stated.
He added that such organisations have consistently pursued one objective: “to break apart the multiethnic people of Russia.”
Medvedev’s remarks come amid a shift in Russia’s official stance toward Afghanistan. In April, Russia’s Supreme Court suspended the ban on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which had previously been included on the country’s list of terrorist organisations.
The Afghan national accused of shooting two U.S. National Guard members in Washington, D.C., is facing new federal charges that could allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty, authorities said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced that Rahmanullah Lakanwal has been charged with transporting a firearm and a stolen weapon in interstate commerce with intent to commit a serious crime, Fox News reported on Wednesday. One Guard member, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, was killed in the November 26 attack, while Andrew Wolfe was seriously injured.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said moving the case from Superior Court to federal court allows for a careful review of whether the death penalty is warranted. She noted the impact on Beckstrom’s family and said Wolfe faces a lengthy recovery.
Lakanwal remains charged under D.C. law with first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill and multiple firearms offenses. An FBI affidavit states the revolver used in the shooting was stolen from a Seattle home in May 2023 and later given to Lakanwal in Washington state, where he also purchased additional ammunition.
Investigators say Lakanwal searched locations in Washington, D.C., including the White House, shortly after buying the ammunition. The shooting occurred near the White House on November 26, according to court records.
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