Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani: who is he? Bomb in prosthetic leg kills Taliban
The senior member of the Taliban in Afghanistan, Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani, was killed in a bomb attack.
Since the Taliban returned to power this year, Haqqani is the first Taliban and religious figure to die in the country.
The late Haqqani was renowned for his openness to global media in addition to his considerable influence over the ruling group. He is well known for his vehement remarks and his recent commitment to the country’s right to education for girls.
Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani
Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani was a senior Taliban cleric, according to Wikipedia.
An Islamic preacher who had trained many Taliban over the years was revered by the Taliban.
According to NDTV, Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani has held no official position within the Taliban or its current administration. Nevertheless, he exerted a considerable influence on the members of the group.
Given the number of Taliban officials who sent their condolences, Haqqani’s untimely demise made him a martyr.
According to the BBC, he was a vocal opponent of organizations that supported the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
Sheikh Haqqani’s main criticism of IS-K, the regional branch of ISIS operating in Afghanistan, was directed at the rival jihadist militant group.
Although it shared a name with the Haqqani militant group network in Afghanistan, it had no connection to them.
A suicide bomb placed in an artificial leg killed the Taliban.
In his seminary in Kabul, Madrassa Zubeiri, which he had directed for years, Sheikh Haqqani was killed by a suicide bomber.
According to Al Jazeera, the attacker had an amputated leg and carried the explosive concealed in his plastic prosthesis.
Sheikh Haqqani and one of his brothers perished in the blast, Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran told AFP, while three other people were injured.
International attention was drawn to the explosion and death of the Muslim cleric following widespread media coverage.
However, according to sources on social media, including Twitter, this is not the first time the late sheikh has been the target of an assassination attempt.
He has already escaped two attempts, one in 2013 on the Ring Road in Peshawar and the second on October 27, 2020.
Islamic State, a rival Islamist organization, says Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani was killed.
Later in the day, ISIL acknowledged on its telegraph channels responsibility for the attack after Thursday’s incident.
According to the organization, the suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest inside the late Taliban scholar’s office.
The Islamic State (IS) group has previously pledged to kill the preacher, according to WION News.
His presence marked the concern of the ISKP as a supporter and figurehead of the Taliban (ISIS-K). As a result, despite regaining control of Afghanistan a year ago, ISIS has often attacked the country.
The Afghan branch of ISIL has intensified its attacks against mosques and ethnic minorities throughout Afghanistan.
The Taliban leadership is currently facing its biggest security challenge from the spin-off group, which has been around since 2014.
