A suicide attack struck Darul Uloom Haqqania, South Asia’s largest religious seminary, during Friday prayers in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The blast killed five people—including the seminary’s principal and prominent religious leader, Maulana Hamid ul Haq Haqqani—and left dozens injured.
According to local officials, the explosion occurred as a large congregation was gathered for prayer at the mosque within the seminary complex in Akora Khattak. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Inspector General of Police told reporters: “Four people have died, while 10 to 12 others have been injured. Rescue and search teams have been dispatched.” He added, “Initial findings suggest that Maulana Hamid Ul Haq was the primary target.”
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Rescue sources reported that 20 of the most critically wounded were transferred to Peshawar, and efforts continue to search for others who may be trapped beneath the debris. So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Akora Khattak is located in Nowshera District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, along the Grand Trunk (GT) Road, roughly 30 miles east of Peshawar and 62 miles west of Islamabad. Darul Uloom Haqqania, often referred to as the “University of Jihad” during the Soviet-led invasion of Afghanistan, played a significant role in the Afghan resistance against the Soviet Union.
Its former head, Maulana Sami Ul Haq—widely referred to in Western media as “the Father of the Taliban”—was assassinated by unknown assailants at his residence in Islamabad in November 2018. Hamid Ul Haq Haqqani, the victim of today’s suicide bombing, was his son.
Among the seminary’s notable alumni is Afghan commander Jalal Uddin Haqqani, founder of the Haqqani Network. Over the years, countless Afghan fighters have passed through this institution, including members of the powerful Haqqani family in present-day Afghanistan.