- Although the Taliban’s leadership has often diverged in the past, they have managed to plan the organization’s return to power.
- The organization is led by a supreme leader and three deputies who control its political, military and terrorist departments.
- The following is a breakdown of the main leaders and puppets of the Taliban.
- Visit the Business Insider homepage for more stories.
Even during the five-year rule of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, the leadership of the Taliban remained unknown. Previous reports on infighting and political division, The hardline Islamic organization once again won Control Afghanistan When its troops entered the capital Kabul on Sunday.
It seized the presidential palace, marking the final stage of its months-long nationwide advancement, during which time it occupied one city after another, and U.S. Army Down The 2020 peace agreement.
“The war is over,” The Taliban leader announced on Monday.Some are resistance fighters allied with the U.S. The Soviet invasion in the 1980s, But after being overthrown by the US-led army in 2001, he fled overseas. The others are the sons of the famous primitive generation who led the Afghan militant group in the past.
Below is a breakdown of the top leaders who won in Kabul this week.
Supreme Leader Hybatura Ahunzada
The Islamic legal scholar Haibatullah Akhundzada became the new leader of the Taliban in 2016 when his predecessor, Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, was killed in an attack. In the same year, U.S. drone strikes.
Known as the “leader of believers”, he is mainly a religious leader rather than a military commander, but he has the ultimate authority in both areas. As a spiritual figure, he issued the Taliban’s decree, the official ruling on Islamic law.
Mansour named him his successor before his death, which made his rise in power smooth. He also received the support of senior officials, although some people did not attend the meeting to appoint him because they feared that they would be attacked. BBC report in 2016.
After his appointment, Akhundzada had to deal with some divisions in the organization that might further divide the Taliban. However, the BBC stated that infighting was not enough to overthrow his authority.
Before he reached the summit, He preached and taught in a religious school in Pakistan, where many senior Taliban officials attendedBefore Mansour’s death, he was Mansour’s deputy and one of the resistance fighters who opposed Soviet military operations in the 1980s.
He is believed to be about 60 years old, Reuters report, And his The current whereabouts are unknown.
Mullah Yakubu
Mullah Yakubu is the eldest son of the respected original leader of the Taliban—— Mullah Omar.
He is the chief military leader of the Taliban, reportedly in Afghanistan. In 2016, because of his blood relationship, Yakubu received some support in the Taliban succession struggle, but he supported Akunzada instead because he felt that he was inexperienced and was too young. A report by Radio Free Europe.
Not like Ibrahim Sardar |Yacoob, the man who ran the Taliban army before him, was It is said to support the peaceful takeover of AfghanistanIn contrast, his predecessor, Sardar, rejected peace talks and hoped to continue fighting with the government and the US military.
Because of his family background, Yakubu enjoys a status similar to a celebrity in the Taliban. However, according to Radio Free Europe, as someone who grew up and received training in Pakistan rather than Afghanistan, his leadership peers would not necessarily admire him. Afghan intelligence and security officials described him as “self-centered,” “qualified,” and “not aware of the reality of Afghanistan.”
According to Reuters, he is believed to be in his 30s.
Abdul Ghani Baradar
As the deputy leader of Ahhunzada, Abdul Ghani Baradar leads the Taliban’s political office and supervises Withdrawal agreement with the United States In 2020.
Baradar was one of the founders of the Taliban and joined Mullah Omar against the Soviet Union. He is said to have played a key role in planning to help the Taliban conquer Afghanistan’s military victory in 1996, and has assumed a number of military and administrative responsibilities during the organization’s rule. According to the “Guardian” report.
According to the Guardian, after the Taliban stepped down in 2001 and its leader fled to Pakistan, Western diplomats regarded Baradar as one of the more moderate leaders of the organization and was therefore the most suitable leader to negotiate with. One of the people.
He was captured Pakistan and U.S. troops in 2010 But was released In 2018, he helped lead peace negotiations at the request of the United States.
Baradar signed the 2020 Doha Agreement, which paved the way for the Taliban to return to rule by a ceasefire with the U.S. military during the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
According to the Guardian, he is said to be heading to Kabul from his office in Doha.
Guerrilla warrior Sirajadine Haqqani
Ahunzada’s third deputy is the leader of the Haqqani Network, Sirajadin Haqqani, who is a U.S. designated terrorist organization It is believed that this triggered a suicide bombing in Afghanistan.
His father, warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani, Created the network and is Osama bin Laden’s lifelong friend. In the 1980s, he helped the United States defeat the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
Since then, the Haqqani network has been accused Assassination of senior Afghan officials, Coordinate major suicide bombing attacks, and Kidnap Western citizens.
Sirajuddin Haqqani leads the daily affairs of the organization and his whereabouts are currently unknown. According to Reuters, he is believed to be in his 40s or 50s.
