Kabul - After capturing Kabul, the Taliban are swiftly working to organize the power structure to govern Afghanistan. They have asserted that they have evolved and that they will keep Afghanistan secure. Many of their leaders have spent decades waiting for the day they could take control of the war-torn country. Now that they have done it, these top leaders of the outfit are calling the shots in the country.
1. Hibatullah Akhundzada
Hibatullah Akhundzada is the supreme commander of the Taliban since May 2016. Believed to be in his 60s, he was part of the Islamist resistance against the Soviet forces in the 1980s. He is one of the frontrunners to the post of President.
2. Abdul Ghani Baradar
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has returned to Afghanistan after 20 years. He is one of the four men who founded the Taliban in 1994. That is why his candidacy for president is the quite strong. After his release from jail in 2018, Mullah was made the head of the Taliban political party in Qatar.
3. Sirajuddin Haqqani
The leader of one of the most feared militant outfit - Haqqani network, Sirajuddin Haqqani took the reins after the death of his father. The group has carried out some of the most violent attacks in Afghanistan. He certainly occupies a seat at the high table.
4. Mohammad Yaqoob
Son of Taliban co-founder Mullah Mohammed Omar, Mohammad Yaqoob is a young leader, in his 30s, who is currently in charge of the Taliban’s military operations.
5. Abdul Hakeem
Abdul Hakeem was the head of the Taliban negotiating team in Doha in September 2020. Believed to be around 60 years old, Hakeem used to run a madrassa in Pakistan’s Quetta. He is one of the top rung leaders of the Taliban.