Taliban leaders hiding in the shadows in Afghanistan: who are they?

The fighters are now trying to show a more moderate side: they promise an amnesty for their enemies, they intend to form an inclusive multi-ethnic government, they promise to prohibit terrorist groups from entering Afghan territory, and to allow women to work while they do so. do not violate Sharia law. In this way, the United States and its allies want the Taliban to be recognized as the new legitimate rulers of Afghanistan.

The Taliban leadership includes several Mojahedin fighters who were trained in the United States during the Cold War to fight invading Soviet forces in the 1980s. The Sunni group consists mainly of the majority of the dominant ethnic Pashtun population. in the southern part of the country.

These are the seven most influential men in the organization:

Haibatullah Akhundzada, Commander-in-Chief

Born in 1961, Akhunzada became the third high-ranking Taliban commander, a senior organization in the organization, after the United States in 2016. He killed his predecessor, Mullah Mansour Akhtar, during a drone strike. He is better known as a religious leader than a military commander, and he tries not to stand out.

Before the change of status, H. Akhundzada was a little known religious figure, he writes euronews.com. It is widely believed that he was chosen to perform the duties of a spiritual leader rather than a warlord.

After his appointment as leader, Akhundzada secured the loyalty of Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. He poured praise on the religious leader, calling him the “Emir of the Believers.”

This helped forge ties with the group’s former allies.

Akhundzada faced a huge challenge to unite the terrorist movement, which had been briefly toppled during a fierce power struggle following the assassination of its predecessor, and reveal that the leaders had concealed the death of the Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, during years.

Akhunzada has not appeared in public since he became the top Taliban leader, so his photos are few. His last public statement was made in May during Id al Fitr, a celebration that marks the end of Ramadan.

Abdul Ghan Baradar, right hand of the commander

The deputy leader of the Taliban is the main public face of the Taliban and will likely lead the new government. He was closely associated with Osama bin Laden and co-founded the Taliban with Mullah Mohammad Omar, a one-eyed cleric who became the group’s first supreme leader.

After the collapse of the Taliban in 2001, AG Baradar is believed to have been actively involved in a small rebel group that wrote a letter to interim leader Hamid Karzai. The letter set out a possible agreement on how the fighters could recognize the new administration.

Baradar was arrested in the Pakistani port city of Karachi in 2010. in a joint operation with US intelligence, and Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special envoy to Afghanistan, allegedly helped secure his release in 2018 before the talks. peace with the Trump administration.

Baradar lived in Doha, Qatar, where the Taliban have a political office, but returned to the southern city of Kandahar, the group’s hometown, on Tuesday. As the Taliban diplomatic leader, he signed the February 2020 peace agreement with the Trump administration, which laid out a plan for the withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan. He also met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Tianjin this month.

Sirajuddin Haqqanis, commander of a terrorist group

The leader of the US-designed terrorist organization Haqqani Network became the second deputy commander of the Taliban after the group merged around 2016. He is believed to live between Afghanistan and Pakistan, overseeing finances and military assets in both countries.

The Haqqani Network is a terrorist group directed against the United States. It has long been seen as one of the most dangerous groups fighting the US-Afghan-led NATO forces in Afghanistan for the past two decades.

The group is known for using suicide bombers and is believed to have staged one of the biggest attacks in Kabul in a long time.

The network is also accused of killing high-ranking Afghan officials and kidnapping Western citizens for ransom, including US soldier Bowe Bergdahl, who was released in 2014.

Known for its independence, intelligence and foresight in fighting, and its ability to do favorable business, the Haqqani Network is believed to have overseen operations in the harsh mountains of eastern Afghanistan, while exerting tremendous influence over the board of directors. of the Taliban.

It is unclear how the United States will deal with the Haqqani Network in continuing negotiations with the Taliban. Haqqani’s brother, also a well-known Taliban leader, was detained by US forces in Bahrain in 2014 and taken to Bagram prison, but released four years later in exchange for prisoners.

Mohammad Yaqoob, son of the founder

Mr. Yaqoob is the son of the founder of the Taliban, Mullah M. Omar, and due to his background, he was once considered a candidate for the group’s highest office. Little is known about him. News reports indicate that he studied at a seminary in neighboring Pakistan and currently lives in Afghanistan. Yaqoob heads the group’s powerful military commission, which oversees an extensive network of field commanders charged with carrying out strategic rebel military operations.

His origins and ties to his father, whose cult as a Taliban leader was similar to the cult of the commander, are a strong symbol and make him a unifying figure in the dispersed movement, he declares. euronews.com.

However, Yaqoobo’s exact role in the movement generates a lot of speculation, with some analysts believing that his appointment in 2020 was only symbolic.

Abdul Hakim Haqqanis, Chief Negotiator

Haqqani, a close envoy of Commander-in-Chief Akhunzada, is believed to lead the Taliban negotiating team, which is responsible for peace talks with the former US-backed government. He also chairs the Supreme Council of Religious Teachers.

Sheras Mohammadas Abbas Stanikzai, pagrindinis diplomats

Unlike most of the group’s leaders, Stanikzai is fluent in English and has traveled the world as a deputy foreign minister at a time when militants last ruled Afghanistan.

1996 visited Washington during a failed mission in an attempt to persuade the Bill Clinton administration to recognize the Taliban government. He also led delegations in China in meetings with government officials, according to a Reuters report. Stanikzai is also MP Abdul Hakim Haqqani in talks with Afghan government officials.

Zabihullah Mujahideen, Principal Spokesperson

The mujahideen spoke at the Taliban’s first press conference in Kabul earlier this week and are likely to play an important role in getting the group’s message across to the international community. During the 20 years of the war, he communicated with journalists only by phone or SMS. August 17 In a meeting with the media, Mujahide was seen for the first time in public.