Taliban: Militants, clerics and hardened fighters

The Taliban’s inner workings and leadership have long been shrouded in secrecy – even when it ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.

Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.

The Taliban’s inner workings and leadership have long been shrouded in secrecy – even when it ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.

Hibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader

Akhundzada was appointed leader of the ­Taliban in a swift power transition after a 2016 US drone strike killed his predecessor, Akhtar Mansour.

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-Qa’ida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, who showered the cleric 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 militant movement that briefly fractured during the bitter power struggle after Akhtar’s assassination, and the revelation that the leadership had hidden the death of Taliban founder Mohammad Omar for years.

His public profile has largely been limited to the release of messages during Islamic holidays, but the group has shed some light on his whereabouts following its takeover of Afghanistan.

“He is present in Kandahar,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said this week. Another spokesman said Akhundzada is due to make a public appearance “soon”.

Abdul Ghani Baradar, co-founder

Baradar was raised in Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban.

Like most Afghans, Baradar’s life was forever altered by the ­Soviet invasion of the country in 1979, transforming him into an insurgent.

He was believed to have fought side-by-side with the one-eyed cleric Mohammad Omar.

The two would go on to found the Taliban in the early 1990s during the chaos and corruption of the civil war that followed the Soviet withdrawal.

Abdul Ghani Baradar. Picture: AFP

After the Taliban regime was toppled in 2001 by US-led forces, Baradar is believed to have been among a small group of insurgents who approached interim leader Hamid Karzai with a potential deal that would have seen the militants recognise the new administration.

Arrested in Pakistan in 2010, Baradar was kept in custody until pressure from the US saw him freed in 2018 and relocated to Qatar.

This is where he was appointed head of the Taliban’s political office and oversaw the signing of the troop withdrawal agreement with the US.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Haqqani network

The son of a famed commander from the anti-­Soviet jihad, Haqqani doubles as the deputy leader of the Taliban and head of the powerful Haqqani network.

The network is a US-designated terrorist group long viewed as one of the most dangerous militant factions in Afghanistan.

Sirajuddin Haqqani.

It is infamous for its use of ­suicide bombers 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 are mainly based in eastern Afghanistan and hold considerable sway over the Taliban’s leadership council.

Mohammad Yaqoob, the scion

The son of ­Taliban co-founder Mohammad Omar, Yaqoob heads the group’s powerful military commission, which oversaw the vast network of field commanders charged with executing the insurgency.

Mohammad Yakoob.

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.

AFP