Who Is the New Taliban Leader?

By Krishnadev Calamur

The Taliban’s new leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, is being described as a “hardline religious scholar” who issues most of the group’s fatwas, as well as “well-educated and respected,” with at least one regional expert saying his appointment “will not fully appease all factions within the Taliban.”

The Taliban announced Tuesday that Akhundzada was replacing Mullah Akhtar Mansour, who was killed Saturday in a U.S. drone strike inside Pakistan. It is the first time the Taliban has acknowledged Mansour’s death. The organization also announced that  Sirajuddin Haqqani and Muhammad Yaqoub would serve as Akhundzada’s deputies. Haqqani, the leader of the Haqqani network, is viewed as a hard-line member of the group who is opposed to peace talks with the Afghan government. Yaqoub is the son of Mullah Mohammed Omar, the late Taliban leader who Mansour officially replaced last year. Both were tipped to replace Mansour.

Sayed Mohammad Akbar Agha, a former Taliban commander, tells CNN Akhundzada is from Panjwai district in Kandahar province, the heartland of the Taliban.

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