Hibatullah Akhundzada: Know all about Taliban's spiritual leader set to lead Afghanistan

As the Taliban is all set to announce its government in Afghanistan, it has also confirmed the name of Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the religious head of the terrorist group to lead the new government. Notably, Akhundzada has served as the head of the group's council of religious scholars and will be leading the country after reportedly appointing a Prime Minister or President under him. Read on to know more about the religious head. 

Who is Hibatullah Akhundzada?

Taliban military commander and the religious leader of the group hails from Kandahar and has been a senior figure in the terrorist organisation for several years. Appointed by the senior Taliban leaders in Pakistan, he soon established himself at a senior position in the militant group. 

Born in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar district, he graduated from school there and later got involved in the Islamic State resistance movement that fought the Soviet military campaign in Afghanistan. Soon after, he joined the Taliban which gained prominence during the withdrawal of Soviet troops in the 1990s. As soon as the Taliban gained more power in Afghanistan, he became the head of the groups' military court and also the deputy head of its supreme court, according to media reports. 

During this time, Akhundzada emerged as a religious leader after he became the group's head of the Taliban's council of religious scholars. He is also responsible for issuing most of the Taliban fatwas and setting religious issues among the members of the group. 

Before rising to authority, he served as a deputy to the previous Taliban leader Akhtar Mohammad Mansour who was killed in a US drone strike on 21 May 2016. 

Afghanistan under Taliban

Earlier, in the month of August, the Taliban took over Afghanistan's capital city, Kabul leading to the collapse of the Afghan government. Since then, several countries were carrying out evacuation operations at the Kabul airport to bring back their diplomats and nationals. The United States concluded its evacuation bringing an end to its 20-year-long war in Afghanistan. 

Meanwhile, the Taliban is now prepping up to form a government in Afghanistan and has appealed to international communities to accept them. 

(Image: AP)