The government accused the Islamic State of being behind the attack, which struck at the heart of the Taliban’s power structure after years of essentially unchallenged dominance.

Khalil Haqqani, Taliban acting minister of refugees, was killed in a blast Wednesday at the ministry's headquarters in Kabul.

Afghanistan’s acting minister for refugees has been killed in an explosion in the capital, Kabul, according to his nephew and officials. Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani was killed on Wednesday in the blast that also claimed the lives of five others, local media said.