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2021-08-22 Afghanistan
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Who's who in the Taliban leadership
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[AlAhram] The Taliban
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
's Haibatullah Akhundzada
Mullah Baradar
Sirajuddin Haqqani
Mullah Yaqoob |
bigwigs were gathering in the Afghan capital Saturday for talks with elders and politicians on forming a government after their stunning sweep to power last weekend.
The inner workings and leadership of the group have long been shrouded in secrecy -- even during their rule from 1996 to 2001 -- but here is a rundown of what is known:
Continued from Page 2
Haibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader
Haibatullah Akhundzada
...Former deputy to Taliban supremo Mullah Akhtar Mansour, now The Big Man Himself...
was appointed leader of the Taliban in a swift power transition after a US dronezap killed his predecessor, Mullah Mansour Akhtar, in 2016.
Before ascending the movement's ranks, Akhundzada was a low-profile religious figure. He is widely believed to have been selected to serve more as a spiritual figurehead than a military commander.
After being appointed leader, Akhundzada secured a pledge of loyalty from al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri
...Formerly second in command of al-Qaeda, now the head cheese, occasionally described as the real brains of the outfit. Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's fatwa entitled World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders. Currently residing in the North Wazoo area assuming he's not dead like Mullah Omar. He lost major face when he ordered the nascent Islamic State to cease and desist and merge with the orthodox al-Qaeda spring, al-Nusra...
, who showered the holy man with praise -- calling him "the emir of the faithful".
This helped seal his jihadi credentials with the group's long-time allies.
Akhundzada was tasked with the enormous challenge of unifying a bad boy movement that briefly fractured during the bitter power struggle after Akhtar's liquidation, and the revelation that the leadership had hidden the death of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Blinky Omar
...a minor Pashtun commander in the war against the Soviets who made good as leader of the Taliban. As ruler of Afghanistan, he took the title Leader of the Faithful . The imposition of Pashtunkhwa on the nation institutionalized ignorance and brutality in a country already notable for its own fair share of ignorance and brutality. Died of an unspecified ailment in a Pak hospital...
for years.
His public profile has largely been limited to the release of messages during Islamic holidays.
Mullah Baradar, the co-founder
Abdul Ghani Baradar was raised in Kandahar -- the birthplace of the Taliban movement.
Like most Afghans, Baradar's life was forever altered by the Soviet invasion of the country in the late 1970s, transforming him into an turban.
He was believed to have fought side-by-side with the one-eyed holy man Mullah Omar.
The two would go on to found the Taliban movement in the early 1990s during the chaos and corruption of the civil war that followed the Soviet withdrawal.
After the Taliban regime was toppled in 2001 by US-led forces, Baradar is believed to have been among a small group of Lions of Islam who approached interim leader Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai
...One of the more egregious mistakes of the post 9-11 era...
with a potential deal that would have seen the holy warriors recognise the new administration.
Arrested in Pakistain in 2010, Baradar was kept in jug until pressure from the United States saw him freed in 2018 and relocated to Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...
This is where he was appointed head of the Taliban's political office and oversaw the signing of the troop withdrawal agreement with the United States.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Haqqani Network
The son of a famed commander from the anti-Soviet jihad, Sirajuddin Haqqani
 ...son of Pashtun warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani, still titular head of the Haqqani Network....
doubles as the deputy leader of the Taliban and head of the powerful Haqqani network
...a branch of the Afghan Taliban, based in Pakistain. The network is a family business founded by the later Jalaluddin Haqqani...
The Haqqani network is a US-designated terror group long viewed as one of the most dangerous bad boy factions in Afghanistan.
The group is infamous for its use of jacket wallahs and is believed to have orchestrated some of the most high-profile attacks in Kabul over the years.
The network is also accused of assassinating top Afghan officials and holding kidnapped Western citizens for ransom -- including US soldier Bowe Bergdahl, released in 2014.
Known for their independence, fighting acumen, and savvy business dealings, the Haqqanis operate from the rugged mountains of eastern Afghanistan, while holding considerable sway over the Taliban's leadership council.
Mullah Yaqoob, the scion
The son of Taliban co-founder Mullah Omar, Mullah Yaqoob heads the group's powerful military commission, which oversaw the vast network of field commanders charged with executing the insurgency.
Yaqoob's father enjoyed cult-like status as the Taliban leader, and that potent lineage makes him a unifying figure in the movement.
Speculation remains, however, about Yaqoob's exact role -- with some analysts arguing that his appointment in 2020 was merely cosmetic. 
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Posted by trailing wife 2021-08-22 00:00||
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