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Haibatullah Akhundzada: Shadowy Taliban leader whose son was suicide bomber

Hardline cleric retains ultimate authority over Taliban, took over in 2016 after predecessor killed in drone strike

Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, Taliban, Afghanistan
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Taliban members stand near a poster of their leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, in Kabul (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters
In one of the only known photographs of Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, he stares directly at the camera - an expressionless face between a white turban and a long, grey beard.

As the Islamist movement unveiled its new government on Tuesday after it swept to power as U.S.-led forces withdrew last month, the mysterious Akhundzada retained the role of supreme leader, the ultimate authority over the group's political, religious, and military affairs he has held since 2016.

"We will rebuild our war-torn country," Akhundzada said in a written statement released by the Taliban after Tuesday's appointments, his first comments

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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