Article author:
Associated Press
Islamabad (AP) — A prominent Taliban cleric was killed in a bombing at his religious center in the Afghan capital Kabul on Thursday, officials said.
Officials identified the cleric as Rahimullah Haqqani, a name indicating that he graduated from Pakistan's Darul Ulm Haqqania, an Islamic university with long ties to the Taliban. .
The Taliban's deputy spokesperson, Bilal Karimi, confirmed Haqqani's death and called him a "great character and scholar." Karimi said Haqqani was killed in a "brutal attack by the enemy" but gave no details.
He did not immediately claim responsibility for the killing. But local branches of the Islamic State group have targeted the Taliban and civilians in attacks since the Taliban hijacked Afghanistan last August, when US and NATO forces were in the final stages of pulling out of Afghanistan. 24}
After the bombing, Taliban fighters prevented journalists from Kabul from going to a religious center in Haqqani. Taliban officials also did not elaborate on the type of bombing that targeted the clergy or whether anyone else was killed or injured in the attack.
2001 After the September 11, 2011 attacks, a US-led invasion overthrew the Taliban government. Since regaining power, the militants have also faced a devastating economic crisis as the international community freezes funding to the country.
