Hibatullah Akhundzada

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Hibatullah Akhundzada (born 20 October 1967) is an Afghan politician and cleric who is serving as the supreme leader of Afghanistan under the Taliban government. He has led the Taliban since 2016, and came to power with its victory over U.S.-backed forces in the 2001–2021 war. A highly reclusive figure, he has almost no digital footprint except for two photographs and several audio recordings of speeches. Akhundzada is well known for his fatwas on Taliban matters. Unlike many Taliban leaders, Akhundzada does not have any experience in combat, although one of his sons was a suicide bomber. He was an Islamic judge of the Sharia courts of the 1996–2001 Taliban government. He was chosen to lead the Taliban’s shadow court system at the start of the Taliban insurgency, and remained in that post until being elected supreme leader of the Taliban in May 2016. Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda, backed Akhundzada as the Amir al-Mu'minin, which strengthened Akhundzada's jihadist reputation...

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