As a hardline Islamist movement in Afghanistan characterize the Taliban, who – since ousted in 2001 – have revolted against the Western-backed government in Kabul.
The movement initially attracted members of the “mujahideen” fighters who, with the support of the United States, had fought against Soviet forces in the 1980s.
According to the Athenian-Macedonian News Agency, the organization of Taliban became one of the factions involved in the civil war in 1994 and in 1996 came to control most of the country, where it imposed a strict version of Islamic law. Opponents of the Taliban and Western countries have accused the movement of brutally imposing its own version of sharia and of oppressing religious minorities.
The founder of the Taliban and their original leader was Mullah Mohammad Omar, who fled and went into hiding after the overthrow of the Taliban by US-backed local forces following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
The place where he was hiding was kept so secret that his death, in 2013, was only confirmed two years later by his son.
The Taliban appear to be re-emerging militarily in Afghanistan. Since foreign troops began withdrawing, they have occupied most of the country and now control the capitals of ten of the 34 provinces.
Here are some of the most important leaders of the movement.
Haibatullah Ahunjada
Known as the “Leader of the Faithful”, this scholar of Islamic law is the supreme leader of the Taliban and has the final say in the political, religious and military affairs of the organization.
Akhunda took over when his predecessor, Akhtar Mansour, was killed by a US drone strike in 2016 near the Afghan-Pakistani border. For 15 years, until his sudden disappearance in May 2016, Ahunja taught and preached at a mosque in Kuslak, a city in southwestern Pakistan, his associates and students told Reuters.
He is believed to be about 60 years old and his whereabouts are unknown.
Mullah Mohammad Yaqub
The son of Taliban founder Mullah Omar, Yaqub oversees the organisation’s military operations and is reportedly inside Afghanistan, according to local media reports.
He had been nominated to take over as leader of the movement in various leadership races, but in 2016 he promoted Ahunja because he felt he had no experience on the battlefield and was too young, according to a Taliban commander who attended the meeting. which elected Mansour’s successor.
Jacob is believed to be 30-35 years old.
Shirazuddin Hakani
The son of prominent mujahedeen commander Jalaluddin Haqqani, Shirazuddin leads the Haqqani network, a loosely structured organization that oversees the Taliban’s finances and military equipment on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Some experts believe that the Haqqani network has carried out suicide bombings in Afghanistan and has been blamed for a series of high-profile attacks, including a raid on a top Kabul hotel, an assassination attempt on then-President Hamid Karzai and a suicide bombing against India.
Hakani is believed to be between 45 and 55 years old. Where it is located is unknown.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar
One of the Taliban’s co-founders, Baradar now heads the movement’s political bureau and is part of the Taliban’s negotiating team in Doha as part of efforts to reach a political agreement that could pave the way for a ceasefire. and for lasting peace in Afghanistan. The process has not progressed significantly in recent months.
Baradar, who is said to be one of Mullah Omar’s most trusted commanders, was arrested in 2010 by security forces in Karachi, southern Pakistan, and released in 2018.
Sir Mohammad Abbas Stanezkai
A former deputy minister in the Taliban government before its overthrow, Stanezkai lived in Doha for almost a decade and in 2015 became head of the organisation’s political bureau there.
He has taken part in negotiations with the Afghan government and has represented the Taliban on diplomatic trips to several countries.
Abdul Hakim Hakani
He is the head of the Taliban negotiating team. A former shadowy Taliban leader, he leads a powerful council of Islamic scholars and is widely regarded as the man Ahuja’s most trusted.
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