KABUL: Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, who has never made a public appearance and whose whereabouts have remained largely unknown, is in Afghanistan, the hardline Islamist group confirmed on Sunday. .
“He is present in Kandahar. He has lived there since the beginning,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.
“He will soon appear in public,” added deputy spokesman Bilal Karimi.
The so-called commander of the faithful, Akhundzada, has been pastoring the Taliban as a leader since 2016, when he was snatched from relative darkness to oversee a movement in crisis.
Little is still known about the day-to-day role of Akhundzada, with a public profile largely limited to the publication of annual messages during Islamic holidays.
He has not issued a statement since the Taliban came to power and took control of Afghanistan in mid-August.
The Taliban has a long history keeping its top leader in the shadows.
The enigmatic founder of the group, Mullah Mohammad Omar, was famous for his hermit manners and rarely traveled to Kabul when the group was in power in the 1990s.
Instead, Omar was left out of sight at his Kandahar venue, reluctant even to meet with visiting delegations.
Kandahar was the cradle of the militant movement and the epicenter of the Taliban’s iron-fisted Islamist government in the 1990s.
“He is present in Kandahar. He has lived there since the beginning,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.
“He will soon appear in public,” added deputy spokesman Bilal Karimi.
The so-called commander of the faithful, Akhundzada, has been pastoring the Taliban as a leader since 2016, when he was snatched from relative darkness to oversee a movement in crisis.
Little is still known about the day-to-day role of Akhundzada, with a public profile largely limited to the publication of annual messages during Islamic holidays.
He has not issued a statement since the Taliban came to power and took control of Afghanistan in mid-August.
The Taliban has a long history keeping its top leader in the shadows.
The enigmatic founder of the group, Mullah Mohammad Omar, was famous for his hermit manners and rarely traveled to Kabul when the group was in power in the 1990s.
Instead, Omar was left out of sight at his Kandahar venue, reluctant even to meet with visiting delegations.
Kandahar was the cradle of the militant movement and the epicenter of the Taliban’s iron-fisted Islamist government in the 1990s.