Amu: Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has continued reshuffling Taliban’s senior police commanders in a move that further sidelines Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s acting interior minister..In the latest changes, Akhundzada reassigned the Taliban’s police chiefs of Bamiyan and Samangan provinces, transferring each to the other’s post. These appointments, although officially under Haqqani’s purview, were made directly
Afghanistan International: According to the sources, Haqqani’s attendance at the meeting was made possible through the mediation of Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid and Taliban intelligence chief Abdulhaq Wasiq. The Taliban leader reportedly rejected a proposal from Haqqani to establish a new appointments commission. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan International: A retired Pakistani army general, Inam-ul-Haq, has revealed deepening tensions within the Taliban, spotlighting a rift between the Haqqani Network and the Kandahar faction, in an Express Tribune article. He outlined how disputes over the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), girls’ education bans, Pakistan relations, and governance are driving the divide. Click here to read
Amu: Nineteen days after reappearing publicly at a mosque in Khost following a 52-day absence, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the acting interior minister of the Taliban, has yet to be seen at the ministry or participate in official events, raising fresh questions about his status and role within the Taliban hierarchy. No photographs or statements have emerged
Afghanistan International: Michael Kugelman, South Asia Director at the Wilson Center, says the United States is signalling a shift in its approach to the Taliban. He believes the US is now looking to work more closely with Taliban leaders based in Kabul, sidelining the group’s leadership in Kandahar. According to Kugelman, the US has limited
Amu: Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada has appointed five new provincial police chiefs in recent weeks, bypassing Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who has been absent from public view for over a month, sources said. Mohammad Asif Siddiqui, a former deputy chairman of the Afghan Senate, said that police appointments now come directly from Akhundzada without the
Afghanistan International: Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s Interior Minister, has not returned to Afghanistan for nearly a month, despite earlier claims by the Taliban spokesperson that he had re-entered the country two weeks ago, sources told Afghanistan International on Monday. According to multiple sources, Haqqani remains outside Afghanistan due to his dissatisfaction with the unilateral decisions
By Mustafa Sarwar and Frud Bezhan Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty February 13, 2025 The Taliban has for years presented a united front to the outside world and kept a tight lid on dissent within its ranks. But unprecedented displays of discord have laid bare the rifts in the secretive militant group and exposed an intensifying
Michael Hughes: According to realist theorist Hans Morgenthau, all politics is a struggle for power – a theory based on the darkest views of human nature; and one that is, unfortunately, applicable to the state of politics in most capitals worldwide. The power struggles do not only occur between reigning and opposition factions. Those who
Amu: The Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has deployed forces loyal to him to key strategic locations in Kabul, including the Bala Hissar fortress and Kabul International Airport, according to two sources familiar with the developments. The move, reportedly targeting areas previously under the control of the Haqqani network, highlights the growing rift between Akhundzada’s