Sirajuddin Haqqani

8am: Following the Taliban’s extensive restrictions on photography and filming, tensions between the group’s two main factions have heightened, visibly playing out across media and social networks. In response to the photography ban on living beings, virtual teams associated with the Haqqani network have circulated images and videos of Sirajuddin Haqqani, whom they call the “commander” of suicide bombers. In contrast, supporters of Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban Supreme Leader, advocate for eliminating photography and enforcing a total filming ban in Afghanistan. However, most Afghans believe both Taliban factions share responsibility for civilian deaths and human rights abuses, particularly against women. They argue that dividing the Taliban into “good and bad” factions only reinforces the group’s gender-apartheid rule rather than fostering anti-Taliban positions. They stress that Sirajuddin Haqqani, responsible for hundreds of civilian and military deaths, should not be glorified amid the group’s internal leadership rivalry. Many believe Haqqani is aiming to seize control of Taliban leadership. Click here to read more (external link).