Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, [b] also spelled Haibatullah Akhunzada, [c] is an Afghan cleric who is the supreme leader of Afghanistan in the internationally unrecognized Taliban regime. He has led the Taliban since 2016, and came to power with its victory over U.S.-backed forces in the 2001–2021 war.

This is a list of Taliban leaders during the insurgency from 2001 to 2021. The founder & spiritual leader, who lived in hiding near a U.S. base in southern Afghanistan until his death. Died on 23 April 2013 of tuberculosis.

Abdul Ghani Baradar [a] (born 29 September 1963 or c. 1968; known by the honorific mullah) is an Afghan politician and religious leader who is the acting first deputy prime minister, alongside Abdul Salam Hanafi, of the Taliban led government of Afghanistan.

Jan 23, 2025 · The Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in 2021, 20 years after a US-led invasion toppled their regime in the fallout of the 9/11 attacks in New York, but its government has not been formally ...

Jan 24, 2025 · A poster of Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada is seen along a road in Kabul. He is one of two leaders named in proposed arrest warrants for their treatment of girls and women since ...

Sep 7, 2021 · Hibatullah Akhundzada became the supreme commander of the Taliban in May 2016, and is now leader of the so-called Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

With the Taliban entrenched in power in Afghanistan, the group's extremist ideology, history of ruthless repression, and extensive ties to militant networks demand close monitoring of its members, affiliates, and their activities.

Aug 12, 2021 · Who are the Taliban’s key leaders in Afghanistan? Six important figures lead the Taliban movement, which has been fighting the Western-backed government since 2001.

Sep 7, 2021 · The Afghan Taliban has named a reclusive, hard-line Sunni cleric as its supreme leader in a still-unrecognized governing structure weeks after a dramatic takeover in which the militants seized...

Feb 4, 2025 · Afghanistan's Taliban rulers will stay united despite enemies' efforts to create divisions among the movement's leaders and the people, a spokesman said, ruling out the prospect of conflict or war ...