Who are the Taliban leaders taking back power in Afghanistan

The inner workings and leadership of the Taliban movement, which appears to be on the verge of seizing power in Afghanistan after conquering most of the country in just a few days, are shrouded in a halo of mystery, as when he ruled the Asian country between 1996 and 2001.

Here is a brief presentation of the main leaders of this radical Islamist group.

Haibatullah Akhundzada, the Supreme Leader

Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada was appointed head of the Taliban in May 2016 during a rapid transition to power, a few days after the death of his predecessor, Mansour, killed by an American drone attack in Pakistan.

Before his appointment, little was known about Akhundzada, until then more focused on judicial and religious issues than on the military wing. If he enjoyed great influence in the insurgency, where he led the judicial system, some analysts believed that his role at the head of the movement would be more symbolic than operational.

Son of a theologian, originally from Kandahar, the heart of the Pashtun country in southern Afghanistan and cradle of the Taliban, Akhundzada he quickly obtained an oath of allegiance from Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al-Qaida. The Egyptian called him “Emir of the Believers”, a name which allowed him to strengthen his credibility in the jihadist world.

Akhundzada had the delicate mission to unify the Taliban, fractured by a violent struggle for power after Mansour’s death and the revelation that they had hidden for years the death of the movement’s founder, Mullah Omar. The insurgent managed to keep the group together and he continued to be fairly low-key, limiting himself to broadcasting annual messages on Islamic holidays.

Mollah Baradar, co-founder

Abdul Ghani Baradar, born in Uruzgan province (south) and educated in Kandahar, is the co-founder of the Taliban with Mullah Omar, who died in 2013, but whose death was hidden for two years.

Like many Afghans, his life was shaped by the Soviet invasion in 1979, which made him a mujahideen, a fundamentalist Islamic fighter, and would have fought alongside Mullah Omar.

In 2001, after the American intervention and the fall of the Taliban regime, he would have been part of a small group of insurgents ready to accept an agreement recognizing the administration of Kabul. But this initiative failed.

Abdul Ghani Baradar was the Taliban’s military commander when he was arrested in 2010 in Karachi, Pakistan. He was released in 2018, notably under pressure from Washington. Heard and respected by the different Taliban factions, was appointed head of its political office, located in Qatar.

From the Gulf country, he conducted negotiations with the Americans, which led to the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, the head of the Haqqani network

Son of a famous anti-Soviet jihad commander, Jalaluddin Haqqani, Sirajuddin is also the number two in the Taliban and head of the Haqqani network.

This network, founded by his father, is classified as terrorist by Washington, which has always considered him the most dangerous fighting faction before US and NATO troops in the past two decades in Afghanistan.

He is also accused of having assassinated certain senior Afghan officials and of taking Westerners hostage. to obtain a ransom or keep them as prisoners like the American serviceman Bowe Bergdahl, released in 2014 in exchange for five Afghan detainees from the Guantanamo prison.

Known for their independence, fighting skills and successful business, the Haqqani are said to be in charge of Taliban operations in the mountainous regions of eastern Afghanistan and have great influence over the movement’s decisions.

Mullah Yaqoub, the heir

Son of Mullah Omar, Yaqoub is at the head of the powerful military commission of the Taliban, which decides the strategic orientations of the war against the Afghan executive.

His ancestry and his ties to his father, whom he adores as the leader of the Taliban, have made him a unifying figure in a large and diverse movement.

Speculations about his exact role in the insurgency are persistent. Some analysts believe that his appointment as head of this commission in 2020 was only symbolic.

(With information from AFP)

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