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Officials stated on Sunday that Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada made his first public appearance after speaking to supporters in Kandahar, Afghanistan’s southernmost city.
Even after his party gained power in Afghanistan in August, Akhundzada, the Islamist movement’s spiritual leader since 2016, has remained a reclusive figure.
His limited profile has fueled rumours regarding his position in the new Taliban government, as well as death rumours.
According to Taliban authorities, he went to the Darul Uloom Hakimah madrassa on Saturday to “talk to his courageous warriors and disciples.”
There was tight security at the ceremony, and no images or film have surfaced, but Taliban social media channels have uploaded a ten-minute audio clip.
Akhundzada, also known as “Amirul Momineen” or “Commandant of the Faithful,” delivers a religious sermon.
The address avoided politics and instead prayed for God’s blessing on the Taliban leadership.
He prays for the Taliban martyrs, injured fighters, and the Islamic Emirate’s officials to succeed in this “major test.”
After his predecessor, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, was murdered in a 2016 US drone strike, Akhundzada was proclaimed Taliban commander in a hasty handover of power.
