Afghanistan International: Afghanistan International sources reported that Abbas Stanekzai, the Taliban’s deputy foreign minister, has left Afghanistan after Hibatullah Akhundzada issued an exit ban and arrest warrant against him. According to these sources, Yaqoob Mujahid, the Taliban’s defence minister, provided the conditions for his immediate visit to Dubai. A well-informed source in Kabul said that
By RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal and RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi January 24, 2025 Afghan rights groups have applauded the International Criminal Court’s announcement that it is seeking arrest warrants for two top Taliban officials for allegedly persecuting Afghan women and girls, an accusation the Taliban-run Foreign Ministry called “baseless.” ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said in a statement on January 23 that
Afghanistan International: The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor on Thursday said that he was seeking arrest warrants against senior Taliban leaders in Afghanistan over the persecution of women, a crime against humanity. Karim Khan said that there were reasonable grounds to suspect that Taliban’s Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and the group’s Supreme Court’s chief justice
8am: Previously, the Middle East Research Institute (MERI) reported that of the 1,137 senior Taliban officials, 891 were Pashtun, 53 Tajik, 28 Uzbek, and 6 Hazara. According to this research, 40 of the top-tier Taliban Supreme Leaders, including the Supreme Leader, prime minister, and ministers of defense, higher education, education, culture, rural development, labor and
Amu: Internal divisions within the Taliban have resurfaced, as sources report that the Haqqani faction sought to appoint Ahmad Haqqani, the eldest son of Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, as the new minister of refugees. However, the Taliban’s leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, rejected the request by naming Abdul Kabir, the former deputy chief minister for political affairs, to lead
Amu: The Taliban’s leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has issued a directive banning the construction of windows in residential buildings that overlook neighboring homes, particularly those housing women. The order, which the Taliban say is aimed at “preserving privacy and protecting women from potential harm,” imposes strict limitations on property owners. According to the decree, individuals building
8am: Many still wonder whether Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada exists. Some say no, others say yes. At times, bizarre and laughable rumors circulate, too absurd to mention. For instance, some suggest that Hamid Karzai is Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada. This perception stems from Karzai’s past Taliban-friendly policies and stances, which led people to draw such conclusions. Yet,
8am: The assassination of Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, the Taliban’s Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, signals that the power struggle between Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Supreme Leader of the Taliban, and Sirajuddin Haqqani, the group’s Minister of Interior and the head of the Haqqani Network, has entered a new phase. This phase seems unlikely to be confined
8am: Over the past three years, numerous reports have highlighted tensions between Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban Supreme Leader, and Sirajuddin Haqqani, the group’s Interior Minister. Recently, Hasht-e Subh Daily obtained information indicating that Akhundzada summoned several local Taliban commanders from various provinces and warned them about their loyalty to Haqqani. Akhundzada reportedly told some of
8am: An audio recording of a speech by Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban Supreme Leader, has been obtained by the Hasht-e Subh Daily, in which he issued an order to close all schools, including both girls’ and boys’ schools, in Afghanistan. In the speech, Akhundzada compares the concept of school with that of a madrassa, stating