Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada made a rare public appearance on Saturday (30), dispelling rumors that he was dead. Until then, Akhundzada had not been seen in public even after the extremist group regained control of Afghanistan on Aug. 15, which fueled speculation about the death of “Amir-ul Monimeen” or “commander of the faithful”.
Akhundzada visited the Jamia Darul Aloom Hakimia religious school in the city of Candar, the second largest in the country, according to information from a leader of the Islamic faction to the Reuters news agency.
The AFP agency also confirmed the Taliban leader’s appearance through a message from the group, according to which Akhundzada spoke for ten minutes “to a large congregation”. In audio that accompanied the text, you can hear him reciting prayers and blessings.
Afghanistan’s supreme leader is a reclusive figure associated with everything that has made the Taliban synonymous with ultra-religious repression. After the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the implantation of an interim government, Akhundzada continued in the post of maximum religious, political and military authority of the group, a position he has held since 2016, after the death of Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a US drone attack .
Known for extreme positions in the application of sharia, Islamic law, he held the position of head of all courts linked to the Taliban and became a personal adviser to Mullah Omar after the faction was ousted from power by the Americans in 2001 in the wake of developments. of September 11th.
Thus, Akhundzada gained fame through the fatwas, harsh religious sentences to impose discipline on the group during its initial disintegration after the fall. When Omar died of tuberculosis in 2013, the Taliban founder was succeeded by Mansur, who kept Akhundzada in his position.
Although Taliban officials claim that the supreme leader has appeared publicly before, with no releases being made public, this is the first time that a public appearance of him has been confirmed.
Little is known about the actions of Akhundzada, of whom there is only one known photo. The leader has an uncertain number of children, and one of them would have killed himself in a suicide bombing with his father’s blessing in 2017.
His public appearance this weekend is the first recorded in his entire time in front of the group.
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