Taliban’s 'Commander of the Faithful' poised for big role in Afghanistan
by Jerry Dunleavy, Justice Department Reporter |
| September 03, 2021 02:30 PM
A former anti-Soviet fighter, al Qaeda ally, and proud father of a suicide bomber known as the "Commander of the Faithful" is poised to take on a significant role as the Taliban form their Afghan government .
Hibatullah Akhundzada is considered the “emir” of Afghanistan by the Taliban. He was part of the anti-Soviet war in the 1980s, helped lead Afghanistan’s Sharia courts in the 1990s, and current al Qaeda leader Ayman Zawahiri reportedly swore allegiance to him as the “Emir of the Believers” in 2016.
Akhundzada took the reins in 2016 after Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed by a U.S. drone strike. Mansour, in turn, had taken over the group following Mullah Mohammed Omar’s death sometime in 2013. Mansour reportedly named Akhundzada as his successor in his will, though it is possible this was just a Taliban effort to shore up support for his leadership.
The Long War Journal noted that al Qaeda’s media arm, As Sahab, released a statement this week lauding the Taliban’s victory and praising the Taliban’s three “emirs” since it was founded — Omar, Mansour, and Akhundzada.
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