The commander Akhundzadeh is said to have addressed the attendees for ten minutes during a “great gathering” at the Qur’anic School of Hakimia. There are no pictures of her. However, an audio portion was shared. In it, Akhundzada can be heard saying prayers and blessings. Therefore, the message was essentially religious in nature and not highly political.
According to a local source, the Taliban leader arrived at the Quranic school in a two-car convoy under strict security measures. He was not allowed to take pictures.
Commander of the Faithful
Akhundzada is the so-called Leader of the Faithful of the Taliban. He has been a leader since 2016, when foreign military forces were still playing a major role in Afghanistan and the movement was in crisis. As a spiritual leader, Akhundzada did not step into the spotlight. His whereabouts were unknown for a long time. However, at the end of August, the Taliban stated that he had always lived in Kandahar.
Kandahar is located in the southeast of Afghanistan. The city is the birthplace of the fundamentalist movement and the center of Taliban rule of terrorism in the 1990s. The Taliban returned to power in mid-August amid the withdrawal of Western forces from the Asian country.
The movement takes a more moderate stance towards the outside world, but few believe the Taliban takes human rights seriously.
