The Taliban announced on Thursday the death of a prominent cleric, Sheikh Rahimula Hakkani, who lost his life in a bombing at a madrasa in Kabul where he was delivering a seminar. The attack took place in the Afghan capital, and the Taliban confirmed the cleric’s death, describing him as having achieved the highest martyrdom after enduring a brutal assault by a ruthless adversary.
Hakkani was a widely recognized figure in Afghanistan, known for his work as a religious leader while spending much of his time across the border in Peshawar, Pakistan. He was a vocal supporter of the Taliban and an opponent of the Islamic State Khorasan Province, the Afghan branch of the extremist group.
In a recent interview, he spoke in favor of allowing women and girls to pursue education, a stance that drew sharp criticism from the international community and challenged the Taliban’s restrictive policies. He asserted that there is no basis in sharia law to claim that women’s education should be barred, arguing that education for girls is essential in an Islamic context.
Hakkani contended that no religious text forbids women’s education, noting that all sacred writings acknowledge education as permissible and, in many situations, necessary. He explained that education should be accessible in a setting like Afghanistan or, if a woman is ill, in a location where she can receive proper care, such as a medical facility in Pakistan.
The responsibility for the attack has not been disclosed. Since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the country has witnessed a series of attacks against the new authorities, including a recent incident in Kabul in June whose perpetrators remain unidentified.
The Islamic State terrorist group has been among the major perpetrators of such violence, alongside militias aligned with other factions. The National Resistance Front (FRN), a movement that emerged in opposition to the Taliban, had called for armed resistance not long after Kabul’s takeover, signaling tensions in the northern regions such as Panjshir and beyond. [Attribution: Observers and security analysts tracking the Afghan conflict]