Hibatullah Akhundzada facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hibatullah Akhundzada
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هبت الله اخندزاده
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Akhundzada's 1990 passport photograph, according to Taliban sources
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| Supreme Leader of Afghanistan | |
| Assumed office 15 August 2021 |
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| Prime Minister | Hasan Akhund (acting) |
| Deputy |
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| Preceded by | Ashraf Ghani (as President) |
| In exile 25 May 2016 – 15 August 2021 Acting: 21–25 May 2016 |
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| Deputy |
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| Preceded by | Akhtar Mansour |
| First Deputy Leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan | |
| In exile 29 July 2015 – 25 May 2016 |
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| Supreme Leader | Akhtar Mansour |
| Preceded by | Akhtar Mansour |
| Succeeded by | Sirajuddin Haqqani |
| Chief Justice of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan | |
| In exile c. 2001 – 25 May 2016 |
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| Supreme Leader | Mullah Omar Akhtar Mansour |
| Preceded by | Noor Mohammad Saqib |
| Succeeded by | Abdul Hakim Haqqani |
| Head of the Eastern Zone Military Court | |
| In office c. 1996 – c. 2001 |
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| Supreme Leader | Mullah Omar |
| Head of the Military Court of Kabul | |
| In office c. 1995 – c. 2001 |
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| Supreme Leader | Mullah Omar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1950s or 1960s Nakhuni, Panjwai District, Kandahar, Kingdom of Afghanistan |
| Residence | Kandahar |
| Ethnicity | Pashtun |
| Tribe | Durrani (Abdali) |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Movement | Deobandi |
| Political affiliation | Taliban |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Hezb-i Islami Khalis Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan |
| Branch/service | 1979–1992 1996–2021 |
| Battles/wars | Soviet–Afghan War Afghan Civil War (1996–2001) War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) |
Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada is an Afghan religious leader. He is the supreme leader of Afghanistan in the Taliban government. He has led the Taliban since 2016. His group took control of Afghanistan in 2021 after the war ended.
Akhundzada is a very private person. There are almost no pictures or videos of him. People mostly know him for his religious rulings, called fatwas, on Taliban matters. Unlike some other Taliban leaders, he was not a military fighter. Instead, he worked as an Islamic judge in the Taliban's courts from 1996 to 2001. He became the head of the Taliban's court system in 2001. In May 2016, he was chosen to be the supreme leader of the Taliban.
In 2019, Akhundzada asked Abdul Ghani Baradar to lead peace talks with the United States. These talks led to an agreement in 2020. This agreement helped clear the way for U.S. troops to leave Afghanistan. Akhundzada led the Taliban to victory against the Afghan government in 2021. After the U.S. troops left, he became Afghanistan's main ruler. He set up a strict Islamic government. His rule has been criticized for limiting human rights. This includes stopping most teenage girls from going to secondary school.
Contents
About Hibatullah Akhundzada
Early Life and Education
Hibatullah Akhundzada was born in a village called Sperwan. This village is in the Panjwayi District of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. He was likely born in the 1950s or 1960s. He is a Pashtun and belongs to the Nurzai tribe. His first name, Hibatullah, means "gift from God" in Arabic.
His father, Muhammad Akhund, was a religious teacher and a leader at a mosque. His family did not own land. They depended on what people paid his father for his religious work.
After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, his family moved to Quetta, Pakistan. Akhundzada studied at a religious school there. He earned the title "Sheikh al-Hadith," which means he was a master of religious teachings. In the 1980s, he was part of the resistance against the Soviet army in Afghanistan. He fought for a group called Hezb-i Islami Khalis.
In the early 1990s, he returned to his village in Kandahar. After the United States invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, Akhundzada went back to Quetta, Pakistan. Because he knew a lot about Islamic law, he became the head of the Taliban's justice system. He also trained many Taliban members.
Family and Privacy
On August 16, 2019, Akhundzada's younger brother, Hafiz Ahmadullah, was killed. This happened in a bomb blast during prayers at a mosque in Pakistan. More than 20 people were hurt, including Akhundzada's son and two nephews. Akhundzada used to teach and lead prayers at that mosque.
Some officials believed Akhundzada was also killed in the blast. However, the Taliban said he was alive. A Taliban member said that Akhundzada does not use modern technology. He prefers to make phone calls on landlines and sends letters to officials. He reportedly has two wives and eleven children. Since becoming the leader, Akhundzada has lived in Kandahar, not in the Presidential Palace in Kabul.
His Role in the Taliban
Joining the Taliban
Hibatullah Akhundzada joined the Taliban in 1994. He was one of its first members. After the Taliban took control of Farah Province in 1995, he worked for the religious police there. Later, he became a judge in the Taliban's military court. He also served as the deputy head of the Supreme Court. He then moved to Kandahar. There, he taught at a religious school that the Taliban's founder, Mullah Omar, oversaw.
After the Taliban government fell in 2001, Akhundzada became the head of the group's religious scholars. He was later made the Chief Justice of the Taliban's courts. He also advised Mullah Omar. He was known as a religious leader who issued most of the Taliban's fatwas (religious rulings). He helped solve religious issues among Taliban members. Both Mullah Omar and his successor, Akhtar Mansour, asked Akhundzada for advice on religious matters.
In 2015, he was appointed as one of two deputy leaders under Mansour. He was often the public face of the Taliban's leadership. This was because Mansour stayed out of public view for safety reasons. The other deputy, Sirajuddin Haqqani, was mostly involved in military matters. Akhundzada created a system to investigate commanders who might have acted wrongly.
Becoming Supreme Leader
Akhundzada became the Taliban's supreme leader on May 25, 2016. He took over after Mansour died. Some people were surprised by his appointment. They thought he was the third choice. But he was chosen as a compromise. Taliban sources said that Mansour had named Akhundzada as his successor in his will. Mullah Yaqoob and Sirajuddin Haqqani became Akhundzada's two deputies.
In 2019, under Akhundzada's leadership, the Taliban won the Battle of Darzab. They defeated a group called the Islamic State – Khorasan Province.
Supreme Leader of Afghanistan (2021–Present)
In May 2021, Akhundzada asked the Afghan people to unite. He wanted them to build an Islamic state after U.S. forces left. In August 2021, his forces began a major attack. They wanted to win the war. During Akhundzada's leadership, U.S. troops left Afghanistan. The Taliban then gained control of Kabul.
On August 18, it was announced that political prisoners would be released. This was based on a general pardon from Akhundzada. The Taliban had already taken control of prisons. They freed thousands of prisoners, including some Taliban leaders.
After Kabul fell, people wondered if Akhundzada was still alive. This was because he had not been seen in public. Some reports suggested he was held by the Pakistani Army. But on August 21, the Taliban said Akhundzada was alive and in Kandahar. On September 8, Akhundzada told the new government to follow Islamic law in Afghanistan.
Key Decrees and Policies
On December 3, 2021, Akhundzada issued a decree about women's rights under Islamic law. It said women have a right to agree to marriage. It also said they cannot be treated as property. Widows could agree to new marriages and inherit property.
On December 8, 2021, Akhundzada told governors to convince people not to leave the country. He also asked them to improve security. On March 14, 2022, he gave 14 rules to the Taliban's armed forces.
In March 2022, Akhundzada ordered new restrictions. He banned foreign TV shows in Afghanistan. He also ordered gender separation in public parks. Women could not fly on planes without a male family member. Male government workers had to wear turbans and full beards. Mobile phones were banned in universities. He also ordered security forces not to hire young people.
On April 29, 2022, Akhundzada asked the world to recognize the Taliban government. On May 7, 2022, he approved a decree. It required all women in Afghanistan to cover their entire bodies in public. The chadaree (burqa) was suggested.
On July 21, 2022, Akhundzada banned public criticism of the Taliban government. He said it was not allowed to make false accusations against officials. On November 14, 2022, he ordered judges to fully use strict Islamic punishments for certain crimes.
His rule has been criticized for limiting the rights of women and girls. This includes bans on education, jobs, and public life for females.
Public Appearances
In September 2021, people noticed Akhundzada had not been seen since the Taliban took Kabul. This led to rumors that he might be dead. The death of the Taliban's first leader, Mullah Omar, had been kept secret for two years.
On October 30, 2021, Taliban officials said Akhundzada appeared in public. This was at a religious school in Kandahar. No photos or videos were released. But a ten-minute audio recording was shared. This helped calm rumors about his death. This was said to be his first public appearance in Afghanistan. Security was very tight. No cellphones or recorders were allowed.
On April 30, 2022, Akhundzada made another rare appearance. He gave a short speech at a mosque in Kandahar. He kept his back to the crowd. Two helicopters flew over the mosque. Taliban fighters kept journalists away. They also stopped people from taking photos.
On July 1, 2022, he was said to have appeared at a large religious meeting in Kabul. He gave an hour-long speech on state radio. Over 3,000 religious leaders attended this men-only meeting. No independent journalists were allowed. On May 12, 2023, Akhundzada met with the Qatari Prime Minister in Kandahar. This was the only time he has met a foreign official.
Political Views
Hibatullah Akhundzada follows a very strict form of Islamic law. He believes in a government where religious leaders enforce Islamic rules. He seems to think that religious nationalism can make the Taliban's rule stronger.
He is said to be against girls' education in Afghanistan. He stopped a plan to let girls return to secondary school. He also approved the decree that women must cover their hair and bodies in public. He also put in place stricter rules for media. He banned mobile phones in higher education and foreign language broadcasts. These actions show he wants to return to the Taliban's style of rule from 1996 to 2001. He is trying to lead like Mullah Omar, the Taliban's founder.
He is part of a very conservative group of religious leaders. This group has a lot of power in the Taliban's decisions. This group includes the Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani and other ministers.
On July 1, 2022, he criticized other countries for "interfering" in his "Islamic" government. He warned that non-Muslim countries would always be against a pure Islamic state. He made it clear he would not form a government that included other groups. He also seemed to reject calls to ease rules on women in Afghanistan. He said he would not change Islamic law to please foreigners.
Akhundzada's private nature and strict rules have caused some disagreements. There is a growing gap between him and his religious advisors in Kandahar. There are also tensions with those running the government in Kabul. These officials have to carry out his policies and deal with criticism. In February 2023, his top deputy, Sirajuddin Haqqani, publicly criticized the government's strict policies. He said power should not be held by just one group. He also said the government must listen to the people's concerns.
Writings
- Mujahedino ta de Amir ul-Mumenin Larshowene (2017; meaning Instructions to the Mujahedeen from the Commander of the Faithful)
