The Taliban have been fighting the Western-backed Kabul government of Afghanistan since they were overthrown in 2001.
It initially attracted members of the so-called “jihadists” who repelled the Soviet army in the 1980s with the support of the United States.
In 1994, the Taliban emerged as one of the civil war factions, after which they controlled most of Afghanistan and made its interpretation of Islamic law in 1996.
Opponents of the organization and Western countries accuse it of brutal enforcement of Islamic laws and suppression of religious minorities.
Since the beginning of the retreat of foreign troops, the Taliban have risen again on the battlefield in Afghanistan, seizing most of the country’s territory and controlling the capitals of 10 of the 34 provinces.
Interpretation of the Taliban’s offensive in Afghanistan
Its founder and original leader was Mullah Mohamed Omar, who went into hiding after the Taliban was overthrown by local troops backed by the United States in the 2001 September 11 attacks.
Omar’s whereabouts were so secretive that he died in 2013, and his son confirmed the news two years later.
Here are some key figures in the Taliban movement:
Haibatura Ahunzada
Islamic legal scholars known as “loyal leaders” are the supreme leaders of the Taliban and have the ultimate power over the political, religious and military affairs of the Taliban.
Taliban leader Mullahhaibatura Ahunzada (social networking site)In 2016, his predecessor, Akhtar Mansour, was killed in a U.S. drone attack near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, and Ahunzada took over.
Suddenly disappeared in May 2016forwardFor 15 years, Ahunzada has been teaching and preaching at a mosque in the town of Kuchlak in southwestern Pakistan. His colleagues and students told Reuters this news.
He is believed to be about 60 years old and his whereabouts are unknown.
Mullah Mohamed Jacob
Jacob is the son of Taliban founder Mullah Omar and is responsible for overseeing the organization’s military operations. Local media reported that he was in Afghanistan.
In various succession disputes, he was proposed as the general leader of the movement.
But according to a Taliban commander who participated in the election meeting for Mansour’s successor, Jacob elected Ahunzada in 2016 because he felt he lacked battlefield experience and was too young.
It is believed that Jacob was in his early 30s.
Sirajadine Haqqani
As the son of the famous jihadist commander Jalaluddin Haqqani, Sirajuddin leads the Haqqani Network, a loosely organized organization responsible for overseeing the financial and military assets of the Taliban on the Pakistan-Afghan border .
Some experts believe that members of Haqqani introduced suicide bombings into Afghanistan and were accused of being responsible for several high-profile attacks in Afghanistan, including attacks on top hotels in Kabul and assassination of then President Hamid Karza. Iraq and the suicide attack on the Indian Embassy.
Haqqani is believed to be around 50 years old and his whereabouts are unknown.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar
As one of the co-founders of the Taliban, Baradar now leads the Taliban’s political committee and is a member of the organization’s negotiating team in Doha. The Doha negotiations sought to finalize a political agreement that would pave the way for a ceasefire and a more lasting peace in Afghanistan.
In recent months, the negotiation process has failed to make significant progress.
Baradar leads the Taliban’s political committee in Doha, Qatar (Al Jazeera)According to reports, Baradar is one of Mullah Omar’s most trusted commanders. He was captured by security forces in Karachi, Pakistan in 2010, and was released in 2018.
Sher Mohamed Abbas Stenikzai
Stanizai was the deputy minister before the overthrow of the Taliban government. He has lived in Doha for nearly ten years and became the head of the organization’s political committee in Doha in 2015.
He participated in negotiations with the Afghan government and visited many countries on behalf of the Taliban.
Abdul Hakim Haqqani
He is the head of the Taliban’s negotiating team, the former shadow chief justice of the Taliban, and he leads a powerful committee of religious scholars. He is generally considered to be the most trusted person in Ahhunzada.
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