Taliban’s supreme leader and Afghanistan’s emir Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada let his own son Hafiz Abdul Rahman kill himself after tying a bomb vest and charging on the Afghan security personnel in the southern province of Helmand in 2017.
Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada – who was being favored to become the head of the state —nominated Mohammad Hasan Akhund to be the new Prime Minister.
The move came as a surprise after many analysts predicted Akhundzada to take the Prime Ministerial role in the Afghan cabinet, India Today reported.
In March 2008, just one week after signing the Doha deal, the Taliban issued a fatwa announcing that Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, emir, was the “lawful ruler” of Afghanistan.
In 2015, Akhundzada became the third Taliban emir and second to rule Afghanistan when he was declared the Emir of the “Ismalic State of Afghanistan.” An Emir in Islam is known as a religious leader.
However, Akhundzada’s role as the Supreme Commander of the Taliban has not been overlooked by his peers. In 2017, Akhundzada let his own son Hafiz Abdul Rahman kill himself after strapping a bomb around his vest and charging the Afghan security forces. Rahman’s death was seen as heroic as remarks of “he sacrificed himself for Allah” were made subsequent to his death.
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After many days of speculation over the cabinet of the Afghanistan government, the Taliban named 33 members constituting a caretaker government.
Akhundaza’s close associate Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has been named as the deputy head of Afghanistan.
While Mullah Baradar has been in public view for a long, particularly during peace negotiations in Doha, Qatar, Hibatullah Akhundzada has been reclusive, modeling himself after Taliban founder Mullah Omar.
The Taliban have named several “new” leaders into the cabinet. However, 5 of those leaders have UN sanctions placed over them. Some of them have been linked with Al-Qaeda and have been active since even before 9/11 took place.
The new Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Akhund is widely known for approving the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas, a famous religious site in Afghanistan.
