Image source,Afghan Islamic Press
Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada (Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada) is a political and religious leader, third in the Taliban leadership.
The Taliban swept Afghanistan in just 10 days in August and quickly gained control of various towns, which shocked many people.
This armed group has now declared a provisional government, defining the country as the “Islamic Emirate.”
The cabinet is led by one of the founders of the movement, Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund. He will serve as prime minister of the interim government.
The following are the main figures in the current leadership of the Taliban cabinet and the relevant information we know.
1. Hibatullah Akhundzada
Hibatullah Ahunzada became the supreme leader of the Taliban in May 2016 and is now the head of the so-called Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
In the 1980s, he participated in the Islamic resistance movement and opposed Soviet military operations in Afghanistan, but at that time his status was more of a religious leader than a military commander.
In the 1990s, Ahu Enzada served as the head of the Islamic religious court.
When they first came to power in the 1990s, the Taliban imposed various punishments based on their strict interpretation of the Sharia law: they publicly executed murderers and adulterers, and cut off the limbs of thieves.
Under the leadership of the reclusive Taliban founder and spiritual leader Mullah Mohammed Omar (believed to have died in 2013), the Taliban also banned television, music, movies and makeup, and banned girls aged 10 and over from attending school.
Image source,EPA
Only very few photos of Mohamed Omar, the former leader of the Taliban who died in 2013, remain.
It is believed that Ahu Enzada is now in his 60s and has spent most of his life in Afghanistan.
However, according to experts, he maintains close contact with the so-called Quetta Shura. “Quetta Shura” is an organization composed of the top leadership of the Taliban in Afghanistan. They are said to have been stationed in the Pakistani city of Quetta for a long time.
As the highest commander of the Taliban, Ahu Enzada is in charge of political, military and religious affairs.
2. Prime Minister-Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund (Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund)
Mohamed Hassan Ahund was one of four people who founded the Taliban in Afghanistan in 1994.
He has been the leader of the Taliban’s powerful decision-making body leadership committee (Rehbari Shura) for a long time.
During the Taliban’s power in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister.
Because of his role in the government during that period, he is currently being sanctioned by the United Nations.
3. Minister of the Interior-Sirajuddin Haqqani (Sirajuddin Haqqani)
Sirajuddin Haqqani (Sirajuddin Haqqani) is another leader of this organization and is on the FBI’s wanted list.
After the death of his father Jalaluddin Haqqani, he became the new leader of the “Haqqani Network”. The organization is alleged to be involved in severe violent attacks that have occurred in Afghanistan in recent years, mainly targeting government forces and their Western allies.
The “Haqqani Network” is currently one of the most powerful and frightening armed organizations in the region. Some people say that it is even more influential in Afghanistan than the so-called “Islamic State” (IS).
Image source,FBI
The Haqqani Network is currently one of the most powerful and feared armed groups in Afghanistan.
The organization is defined by the United States as a terrorist organization, but it is responsible for overseeing the financial and military assets of the Taliban on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
It is believed that Haqqani is about 45 years old.
Before the signing of the Doha Agreement last year, Haqqani stated in a review article published in The New York Times: “For more than 40 years, Afghans have lost precious lives every day. Everyone has lost someone they love. Everyone is tired of war. I believe these killings and mutilations must stop.”
4. Deputy Prime Minister-Abdul Ghani Baradar (Abdul Ghani Baradar)
Abdul Ghani Baradar is one of the founders of the Taliban.
After the Taliban was overthrown by the US-led Allied Forces in 2001, he became a key figure in the rebel organization.
But in February 2010, he was arrested in a US-Pakistan joint operation in Karachi in southern Pakistan.
He spent eight years in prison until he was released after the peace process was planned. Since January 2019, he has been the head of the Taliban political committee in Qatar.
In 2020, Baradar talked with Donald Trump on the phone and became the first Taliban leader to communicate directly with the President of the United States. Prior to that, Baradar signed the Doha Agreement on behalf of the Taliban, which promised the withdrawal of US troops.
Image source,Getty Images
In September 2020, the then US Secretary of State Pompeo and Baradal met in Doha.
5. Minister of Defense-Mohammad Yaqoob (Mohammad Yaqoob)
Muhammad Jacob is the son of Muhammad Omar, the founder of the Taliban.
It is believed that he is just over 30 years old and is currently the commander of the organization’s military operations.
After the death of the former Taliban leader Akhtar Mansour in 2016, some militants wanted to appoint Jacob as the new top leader of the organization, but others thought he was too young and lacking experience .
According to the Associated Press, when the Taliban were advancing within the territory, Jacob had urged Taliban militants not to harm members of the Afghan army or government, and not to seize the homes of government and security officials after they fled.