GARDA SERAI, Afghanistan: Thousands of people attended the funeral Thursday of a Taliban minister killed in a Kabul suicide bombing claimed by the Daesh group.
The funeral for Khalil Haqqani, the minister for refugees and repatriation, was held in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktia province. The Cabinet member was the most high-profile casualty of an assault in the country since the Taliban seized power three years ago.
The minister died in a blast Wednesday at his ministry in the Afghan capital, along with five others.
He was the uncle of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the acting interior minister and the leader of a powerful faction within the Taliban. The US placed a bounty on both their heads.
Tight security was in place for the high-ranking officials attending the funeral, including Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Deputy Prime Minister Maulvi Abdul Kabir.
Armed men guarded the coffin, which was draped in the Taliban flag, and loudspeakers broadcast sermons and eulogies. Local and international media were invited to cover the funeral in Garda Serai district, Paktia.
In a statement carried by the Amaq News Agency, the Daesh Khorasan Province — an affiliate of the Daesh group — said that one of its fighters carried out the suicide bombing. The fighter waited for Haqqani to leave his office and then detonated his device, according to the statement.
An official from Paktia, the Haqqanis’ heartland, gave a different account of what happened. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
The assailant was able to gain access to the ministry despite setting off an alarm on the body scanner because he told the guard he had metal plates in his hands, the official said. He also claimed he was a refugee.
The official added that Haqqani made time for refugees and people with disabilities who come to see him at work because he was sympathetic to their plight.
He was approaching the ministry after praying in the compound’s mosque when the assailant detonated the bomb, the official added.
The UN Mission in Afghanistan was among those to condemn the ministry attack. “There can be no place for terrorism in the quest for stability,” the mission said on X.
Neighboring Pakistan has also expressed its shock. Mohammad Sadiq, the special representative for Afghanistan, wrote on X on Wednesday that the government stood in solidarity with Afghanistan and reiterated its commitment to work with Afghanistan in fighting the “menace of terrorism.”
The Daesh group’s affiliate, a major rival of the ruling Taliban, has previously carried out bombings across Afghanistan.
But suicide attacks have become rare since the Taliban seized power in August 2021 and US and NATO forces withdrew. Such assaults have mostly targeted minority Shiite Muslims, especially in the capital.
Thousands attend funeral of Taliban minister killed by Islamic State suicide bombing
https://arab.news/j6j53
Thousands attend funeral of Taliban minister killed by Islamic State suicide bombing
- The funeral for Khalil Haqqani, the minister for refugees and repatriation, was held in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktia province
- The Cabinet member was the most high-profile casualty of an assault in the country since the Taliban seized power three years ago
Islamophobic attacks on public transport growing in UK
- Muslim travelers restricting journeys over fear of abuse and assault, community groups warn
- Authorities must ‘take urgent and meaningful action,’ says British Muslim Trust CEO
LONDON: Islamophobic attacks are on the rise on public transport across Britain, according to new information revealed by The Guardian, as community organizations warn that Muslims are restricting their journeys over fear of abuse and assault.
A freedom of information request showed that racial hate crimes recorded by British Transport Police across England, Wales and Scotland grew from 2,827 cases in 2019-2020 to 3,258 in 2024-25.
The environment of public transport “creates a particular dynamic where aggressors are often emboldened by alcohol, can isolate their targets and then exit at the next stop,” The Guardian reported.
Hate crimes of a religious nature climbed from 343 cases in 2019-20 to 419 in 2023-24.
Akeela Ahmed, CEO of the British Muslim Trust, said the data reflects the stories her organization has collected from Muslims across the country.
She urged local authorities, transport operators and community safety groups to “take urgent and meaningful action” to address the issue.
“For visible Muslims in particular, the top deck of a bus or a half-empty train carriage can mean threatening behaviour, verbal abuse or even violent attack simply because of their faith,” Ahmed said, adding that Islamophobic attacks on public transport reported to the BMT are “some of the most complex and distressing cases we have handled to date.
“Many Muslims now feel compelled to micro-analyse every movement, expression or gesture out of fear that it may be misinterpreted, recorded and weaponised against them.”
A significant number of physical and verbal attacks against Muslims target children traveling to and from school, Ahmed said, describing this trend as the “most alarming” of all.
“The lack of CCTV coverage on buses and at many stops means perpetrators routinely evade accountability,” she added.
Carol Young, deputy director of the Coalition for Racial Equality, said the recorded figures cited by The Guardian “are probably the tip of the iceberg,” adding: “Anecdotally, we know that using public transport may not feel safe for everyone and some people may avoid using it or restrict their use to certain times of day.”
In response to a request by The Guardian for comment, a spokesperson for British Transport Police said: “Abuse, intimidation and violence — especially that which is motivated by hate — will never be tolerated, and we have acted swiftly and decisively when we receive reports of hate crimes on the rail network.
“If you are a victim of hate crime, or if you witness an incident that makes you feel uncomfortable, please do not suffer in silence.”
