Afghanistan: Who's who of Taliban leadership

By now, the Taliban's grip on power in Afghanistan is firm. On Sunday (August 15) Taliban fighters entered Kabul and also in the presidential palace. Situation is chaotic in Kabul with thousands of people wanting to escape the country as they fear Taliban rule. Taliban have already said that they will form the next government in the country. Taliban have survived USA's two-decades-long war on terror and these prominent Talibani figures are likely to get prominent positions in the emerging government set-up in Afghanistan

Haibatullah Akhundzada

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Akhundzada became leader of the Taliban after assassination of his predecessor Mullah Mansour Akhtar, in 2016.

After being appointed leader, Akhundzada secured a pledge of loyalty from Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, who showered the religious scholar with praise -- calling him "the emir of the faithful".

This helped him seal his jihadi credentials with the group’s long-time allies.

He is seen more as a spiritual leader than a military figurehead.

Akhundzada was tasked with the enormous challenge of unifying a militant movement that briefly fractured during a bitter power struggle following the assassination of his predecessor, and the revelation that the leadership had hid the death of Taliban founder Mullah Omar for years.
The leader's public profile has been largely limited to the release of annual messages during Islamic holidays.

The founder, Mullah Baradar

Mullah Baradar shares his birthplace with Talibani movement, Kandahar

He turned insurgent during Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1970s.

He was believed to have fought side-by-side with the one-eyed cleric Mullah Omar. Baradar and Omar founded the Talibani movement in early 90s amid the chaos of civil war that followed Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan.

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.

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

Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Haqqani Network

He is son of the famed anti-Soviet commander Jalaluddin Haqqani.

Sirajuddin doubles as both the deputy leader of the Taliban movement while also heading the powerful Haqqani network.

The Haqqani Network is a US-designated terror group that has long been viewed as one of the most dangerous factions fighting Afghan and US-led NATO forces in Afghanistan during the past two decades.

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.

The network has also been 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 believed to oversee operations in the rugged mountains of eastern Afghanistan, while holding considerable sway over the Taliban's leadership council.

Mullah Yaqoob, the scion

The son of the Taliban's founder Mullah Omar.

Mullah Yaqoob heads the group's powerful military commission, which oversees a vast network of field commanders charged with executing the insurgency's strategic operations in the war.

His lineage and ties to his father -- who enjoyed a cult-like status as the Taliban's leader -- serves as a potent symbol and makes him a unifying figure over a sprawling movement.

However, speculation remains rife about Yaqoob’s exact role within the movement, with some analysts arguing that his appointment to the role in 2020 was merely cosmetic.

(With inputs from agencies)