New Delhi: After months of mysterious atmosphere, the Taliban has now confirmed that its Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada has been killed. CNN has received information, quoting sources, that Akhundzada, who was the head of the Taliban since 2016, was killed in a suicide attack in Pakistan in 2020.
A senior Taliban leader Amir-al-Muminin has said that Haibatullah Akhundzada was “martyred” in a suicide attack backed by Pakistani forces. Let us inform that CNN-News18 had earlier also reported that Akhundzada is either in the possession of Pakistan or has been killed by its forces.
Speculation continues since the coming of Taliban rule
In fact, since the Taliban’s occupation of Afghanistan in August, there has been speculation about Akhundzada. But it has been repeatedly said by the Taliban that Akhudanzada is alive and will soon be revealed in public. In reality, Haibatullah Akhundzada has never appeared before the people to date. He has been operating behind the scenes. According to Holly Mac Kaye of the New York Post, the picture of Akhundzada on the Internet is also years old.
There were also rumors among Taliban leaders
Now that Taliban rule has arrived in Afghanistan, people were waiting for its public presence. But when this did not happen, the round of rumors started. Rumors also started circulating among Taliban leaders that Akhundzada was not alive?
In 2016, the US killed Taliban chief Akhtar Mansoor in a drone strike. After this, it was announced to make Akhundzada the successor of Mansoor. Akhundzada was a staunch religious leader of Kandahar. People knew him more as a religious leader than a military commander. It is said that Akhundzada was the one who started Islamic punishment. Under which he openly used to punish those who committed murder or theft with death. Apart from this, he used to issue fatwas.
