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Who's who in the Taliban leadership

Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Mullah Baradar Akhund, a senior official of the Taliban, makes a video statement, in a still image taken from a video recorded in an unidentified location and released on August 16, 2021. Social Media/via Reuters" src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/reuters/08/22/mullah.jpg"/><figcaption>Mullah Baradar Akhund, a senior official of the Taliban, makes a video statement, in a still image taken from a video recorded in an unidentified location and released on August 16, 2021. <em>Social Media/via Reuters</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>KABUL - The Taliban&#x27;s senior officials were gathering in the Afghan capital Sunday for talks with elders and politicians on forming a government after their stunning sweep to power last weekend.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/08/19/21/5-promises-the-taliban-have-made-in-afghanistan">5 promises the Taliban have made in Afghanistan</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/08/17/21/how-the-taliban-engineered-collapse-of-afghanistan">How the Taliban engineered &#x27;political collapse&#x27; of Afghanistan</a></li></ul><p>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:</p><div><strong>Haibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader </strong></div><p>Haibatullah Akhundzada was appointed leader of the Taliban in a swift power transition after a US drone strike killed his predecessor, Mullah Mansour Akhtar, in 2016.</p><p>Before ascending the movement&#x27;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.</p><p>After being appointed leader, Akhundzada secured a pledge of loyalty from Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, who showered the cleric with praise -- calling him &quot;the emir of the faithful&quot;.</p><p>This helped seal his jihadi credentials with the group&#x27;s long-time allies.</p><p>Akhundzada was tasked with the enormous challenge of unifying a militant movement that briefly fractured during the bitter power struggle after Akhtar&#x27;s assassination, and the revelation that the leadership had hidden the death of Taliban founder Mullah Omar for years.</p><p>His public profile has largely been limited to the release of messages during Islamic holidays.</p><div><strong>Mullah Baradar, the co-founder </strong></div><p>Abdul Ghani Baradar was raised in Kandahar -- the birthplace of the Taliban movement.</p><p>Like most Afghans, Baradar&#x27;s life was forever altered by the Soviet invasion of the country in the late 1970s, transforming him into an insurgent.</p><p>He was believed to have fought side-by-side with the one-eyed cleric Mullah Omar.</p><p>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.</p><p>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 recognize the new administration.</p><p>Arrested in Pakistan in 2010, Baradar was kept in custody until pressure from the United States saw him freed in 2018 and relocated to Qatar.</p><p>This is where he was appointed head of the Taliban&#x27;s political office and oversaw the signing of the troop withdrawal agreement with the United States.</p><p><strong>Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Haqqani Network </strong><br/> <br/>The son of a famed commander from the anti-Soviet jihad, Sirajuddin Haqqani doubles as the deputy leader of the Taliban and head of the powerful Haqqani network.</p><p>The Haqqani network is a US-designated terror group long viewed as one of the most dangerous militant factions in Afghanistan.</p><p>The group 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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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&#x27;s leadership council.</p><div><strong>Mullah Yaqoob, the scion </strong></div><p>The son of Taliban co-founder Mullah Omar, Mullah Yaqoob heads the group&#x27;s powerful military commission, which oversaw the vast network of field commanders charged with executing the insurgency.</p><p>Yaqoob&#x27;s father enjoyed cult-like status as the Taliban leader, and that potent lineage makes him a unifying figure in the movement.</p><p>Speculation remains, however, about Yaqoob&#x27;s exact role -- with some analysts arguing that his appointment in 2020 was merely cosmetic.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1750216" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

The Taliban's senior officials were gathering in the Afghan capital Sunday for talks with elders and politicians on forming a government after their stunning sweep to power last weekend.