Haibatullah Akhunzada appeared for less than the second time since taking management of the Taliban in 2016 and hailed the ‘safety’ state of affairs in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s supreme chief Haibatullah Akhunzada appeared for less than the second time since taking management of the Taliban in 2016 to inform worshippers celebrating Eid al-Fitr that the Taliban had achieved freedom and safety since seizing energy final yr.
Flanked by safety, Akhunzada spoke days after a strong explosion ripped by a mosque in Kabul, killing greater than 50 worshippers after Friday prayers – the most recent of a sequence of assaults on civilian targets in Afghanistan throughout Ramadan.
“Congratulations on victory, freedom and success,” Akhunzada advised hundreds of worshippers on Saturday on the Eidgah mosque within the southern metropolis of Kandahar, the group’s de facto energy centre. “Congratulations on this safety and for the Islamic system.”
Whereas the variety of bombings throughout the nation has dropped since Kabul fell to the Taliban final August, assaults soared over the ultimate two weeks of Ramadan, which ended on Saturday for Afghans.
Dozens of civilians have been killed within the primarily sectarian assaults – some claimed by the ISIL (ISIS) armed group – focusing on members of the Shia and Sufi Muslim communities.
Akhunzada delivered his transient handle from one of many entrance rows of worshippers in Kandahar with out turning to face the gang, in response to social media posts. Taliban officers didn't enable journalists to strategy him. Two helicopters hovered over the mosque for the two-hour occasion.
In October, he had visited the Darul Uloom Hakimiah mosque in Kandahar, in response to an audio recording circulated by Taliban social media accounts.
On Sunday, many Afghans stayed indoors after the latest lethal assaults.
“The state of affairs of our folks may be very unhappy, particularly after what occurred within the mosques,” Kabul resident Ahmad Shah Hashemi mentioned. “Many younger and outdated folks have been martyred. The folks of Afghanistan don't have anything however sorrow.”
Reclusive determine
Akhunzada’s low profile has fed hypothesis about his function within the new Taliban authorities – shaped after the armed group took management of Kabul on August 15 – and even rumours of his demise.
Akhunzada, believed to be in his 70s, has been the religious chief of the Taliban since 2016. He succeeded Mullah Akhtar Mansoor who was killed in a US drone strike inside Pakistan.
His public profile has largely been restricted to the discharge of messages throughout Islamic holidays, and Akhunzada is believed to spend most of his time in Kandahar.
On Friday, in a message launched earlier than Eid al-Fitr, he made no point out of the bloodshed that has rocked Afghanistan over Ramadan, as a substitute praising the Taliban’s constructing of “a powerful Islamic and nationwide military” and “sturdy intelligence organisation”.
He additionally known as on the worldwide neighborhood to recognise the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The Taliban-led authorities is but to be recognised by any nation because it returned to energy final August, 20 years after it was toppled in a US-led invasion.
Post a Comment