Taliban Appoints New Leader

Early on the morning of May 25th, Taliban leadership acknowledged the death of their premier leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansour. The announcement occurred after both US and Afghani officials claimed that the high-profile terrorist leader had been killed by a U.S.-led drone strike in Pakistan.

In addition to releasing information on the death of Mansour, senior Taliban figures also announced the appointment of Hibatullah Akhundzada as the official leader of their organization.

There is speculation on his age, but Akhundzada is thought to be around fifty-five years old and have lived in Afghanistan almost all of his life. Alongside Mansour and other Taliban figures, Akhundzada was involved in the Islamist resistance against the Soviet military campaign in the 1980s. Akhundzada also joined other Taliban leaders in the government after they took power in 1996.

After the US-led coalition in 2001 ousted the Taliban government, Akhundzada became head of the group’s council of religious scholars and reportedly ran a religious school near Quetta. Despite his proclaimed longtime residence in Afghanistan, Akhundzada is known to have ties to the Quetta Shura, the highest Taliban leadership council, located in Quetta, Pakistan.

Political commentator Gharzai Kwakhogi worked under the Taliban for some time and stated that, “[Hibatullah Akhundzada has lived most of his life inside Afghanistan and has maintained close links with Quetta Shura,” a group known for running operations in southern and western Afghanistan.

Since the fall of the Taliban government, Akhundzada has been known as more of a religious leader than a military tactician. Despite being a member of several military councils for the group, Akhundzada was mostly responsible for issuing the Taliban’s fatwas – important religious decrees or opinions handed down by an Islamic religious leader.

Most recently, Akhundzada served as deputy to previous Taliban chief Mansour.

Taliban senior figures claimed Mansour directly named the high-ranking cleric, Akhundzada, as successor in the his will. Taliban sources similarly cited this as the reason for their unanimity in electing Akhundzada to power; though, these claims could be an attempt to legitimize such a crucial transition of power.

Attempting to take advantage of the change in Taliban leadership, the Afghan government has offered Adhundzada an opportunity for prospective peace negotiations.

Javid Faisal, a deputy spokesman for Afghanistan’s chief executive, urged Akhundzada to join peace-talks in a statement on Wednesday, declaring that “political settlement is the only option for the Taliban or new leadership will face the fate of Mansour.”

Prospective peace settlements appear unlikely for Akhundzada or the Taliban.

His recent appointment appears to be an effort to more greatly unify Taliban forces as divisions in recent years have set the group back, while reports of retaliation following Mansour’s death appear imminent.

Al Jazeera news agency cited an anonymous Taliban source as stating, “They [the foreign forces and Afghan government] should now fasten their seat belts as the attacks will continue and will be stronger than before… We will be taking our revenge and will also make sure we come out stronger than before.”

It appears that Taliban forces have already began such attacks. During morning rush hour on Wednesday, May 25th, a suicide bomber targeted a minibus carrying court employees in Kabul. Statements released by the Taliban said that the bombing was retaliation for “the killing of six prisoners” early this month. At the time of the executions, President Ghani said that he approved of the hanging of the six terrorists who perpetrated grave crimes against civilians and security personnel.

Ultimately, Akhundzada’s appointment is only meant to strengthen the Taliban’s jihadist movement, an objective that is opposed to any current peace offering. It appears that peace in Afghanistan will remain elusive and Afghani officials will likely have little choice but to pursue a long-term resolution through military action.