Image source,Afghan Islamic Press
Ahu Enzada is the third-generation supreme commander of the Taliban.
The Taliban swept Afghanistan in just 10 days and quickly took control of many towns, which surprised many people.
It is not yet known who will take over the new government, but what do we know about the leadership of the Taliban today?
1. Hibatullah Akhundzada
Ahuenzada became the supreme commander of the Taliban in May 2016.
In the 1980s, he participated in the Islamic Resistance Movement and opposed Soviet military operations in Afghanistan, but at that time he was more like a religious leader than a military commander.
Ahuenzada served as the head of the Islamic religious court in the 1990s.
Image source,EPA
The Taliban founder Omar died in 2013.
After taking power for the first time in the 1990s, the Taliban introduced and implemented 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 Omar (Mullah Mohammed Omar), the Taliban also banned television, music, movies and makeup, and banned girls aged 10 and over from attending school. Omar is believed to have died in 2013.
According to reports, Ahu Enzada is in his 60s and has spent most of his life in Afghanistan.
However, some experts stated that 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. Abdul Ghani Baradar
Baradar was one of four people who established the Taliban in Afghanistan in 1994.
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.
Image source,Getty Images
Baradar (center) is one of the four who founded the Taliban organization.
He stayed in prison for eight years 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, becoming the first Taliban leader to communicate directly with the President of the United States.
In July this year, Baladal visited Tianjin and met with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Baradar was once a member of the Taliban peace talks team. He is now the main political leader of the Taliban.
“We have won an unexpected victory… Now what we have to consider is how to serve and protect our people,” Baradal said in a recorded statement in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
Image source,Getty Images
Baradal and Pompeo, then the US Secretary of State.
3. Mohammad Yaqoob
Jacob is the son of Omar, the founder of the Taliban.
It is believed that he is only in his 30s and is currently the leader of the organization’s military operations.
After the death of the former Taliban leader Akhtar Mansour in 2016, some militants wanted Jacob to become the new supreme commander of the organization, but others thought he was too young and inexperienced.
According to local media reports, Jacob lives in Afghanistan.
4. Sirajuddin Haqqani (Sirajuddin Haqqani)
Haqqani is another senior deputy leader of the Taliban.
After the death of Haqqani’s father, Jalaluddin Haqqani, he became the new leader of the “Haqqani Network”.
Image source,FBI
A poster targeting the “Haqqani Network” issued by the FBI.
The so-called “Haqqani Network” is believed to be the chief culprit in the 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 feared armed organizations in the region. Some people say that it is even more influential in Afghanistan than the “Islamic State” (IS).
The organization is recognized 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.
Haqqani is believed to be about 45 years old and his whereabouts are currently unknown.
5. Abdul Hakeem
In September 2020, the Taliban appointed Hakim as the new head of the Taliban’s Doha negotiating team.
He is about 60 years old. According to reports, he opened an Islamic religious school in Quetta, Pakistan. He is also responsible for overseeing the Judiciary of the Taliban.
According to reports, many senior Taliban leaders have taken refuge in Quetta and led the organization there. “Quetta Shura” (Quetta Shura) refers to an organization composed of the highest leadership of the Taliban in Afghanistan. It is said that since 2001, its headquarters has been located in Quetta. “Sura” means “consultation meeting”.
But Pakistan denied the existence of “Quetta Shula”.
Hakim also leads the Taliban’s powerful committee of religious scholars and is believed to be one of the people most closely related to the Supreme Commander, Ahunzada.