Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada appeared for the first time, spoke to ‘brave fighters’

0
Haibatullah Akhundzada

Kabul: Top Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada has made a public appearance for the first time. The top leader has recently met his supporters. Taliban officials gave this information on Sunday. The special thing is that Akhundzada stays away from the limelight, due to which the rumor of his death had also cropped up recently. It is reported that this is the first time since 2016, when the top leader of the Taliban has appeared in public. However, no photograph or photo of the event has been publicly revealed.

According to Taliban officials, Akhundzada had reached Darul Uloom Hakima Madrasa on Saturday to “talk to brave soldiers and followers”. During this, there were tight security arrangements. 10-minute audio of the program has been released by the Taliban. Akhundzada is being called ‘Amirul Momineen’ in this audio. Akhundzada gave a religious message throughout the audio. During this, he prayed for the killed, wounded Taliban fighters and officials of the Islamic Emirate in this ‘big test’. After these statements by Akhundzada, there has been speculation that he is planning a bigger role for himself in the new government.

Who is Haibatullah Akhundzada
Akhundzada was a short-lived religious figure in the Taliban group who emerged as the top leader in the Taliban after Mullah Akhtar Mansoor was killed in a drone strike in 2016. After being appointed leader, Akhundzada had the support of al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri. He also praised the Maulvi and called him the ‘Amir of the faithful’. Akhundzada was entrusted with the task of uniting the Taliban movement that had been weakened after Akhtar’s assassination.

Haibatullah Akhundzada

The special thing is that Akhundzada has limited her presence in public. He usually issues messages on Islamic holidays. It is believed that most of Akhundzada’s time is spent in Kandahar. The top Taliban leader last issued a message on September 7, asking the Taliban government to uphold Sharia law.

Last week Mullah Yusuf Wafa, a close aide of Akhundzada and the Taliban governor in Kandahar, told AFP he was in constant contact with his chief. During the conversation, he said, “We are having regular meetings with them to control the situation in Afghanistan and good government.” He said that Akhundzada is everyone’s ‘teacher’ and he is trying to learn from them.

Advertisement