Unlike many Taliban figures, Akhundzada is not on the United Nations sanctions list. He quickly secured the backing of Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, who called him "the emir of the faithful ...

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Secluded in his stronghold in southern Afghanistan, reclusive Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada is the cornerstone ...

[2] However, al-Jolani’s announcement was undertaken without consulting Ayman al-Zawahiri, the emir of al-Qaeda, and created significant tension within the organization.[3] Today, HTS maintains that ...