Afghanistan International: Abbas Stanekzai, the Taliban’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, has urged officials within the group not to follow their leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, in a manner that accords him a “prophetic or divine status.” In a newly released audio recording, Stanekzai called on Taliban members to refrain from “worshipping” their leader. The exact
Afghanistan International: Three reliable sources told Afghanistan International that they met Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, the Taliban’s deputy foreign minister, in the city of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). He was supposed to be arrested and hence, left Kabul. Other sources had previously said that Stanekzai was supposed to be tried in a military court.
Khaama: The Council for the Protection of Jihadi Values held a meeting in Kabul where they strongly criticized the Taliban for monopolizing power, particularly by the Kandahari faction, and called for an inclusive government. A council member stated that in addition to Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, 12 Taliban cabinet ministers are from Kandahar province, highlighting a
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
Afghanistan International: Siraj said that the son of former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was likely to be in Kandahar or Panjshir. In an interview with a number of reporters, Siraj said that at the level of the Taliban leadership, ethnic and religious differences have increased more than ever, but the al-Qaeda network has played
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
Afghanistan International: Manawi said in an interview with Afghanistan International on Wednesday that Khalil Haqqani was not a supporter of war and that they received repeated calls from him when the war was underway in Panjshir. He clarified that Haqqani’s efforts to prevent war and stand his ground continued until the last moment. Click here
Arab News: While Daesh immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, the situation may not be so straightforward. In the past, Daesh has been known to claim responsibility for attacks it had no part in to boost its image. A more plausible explanation is that this was an inside job, reflecting the fractured nature of the
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