What Happened To Top Taliban Leaders? Baradar Held Hostage, Akhundzada Killed, Says Report

Little over a month ago the Taliban swept through Afghanistan, taking cities and provinces one by one, and on August 15, the capital Kabul also fell to them.

Since then it has not been a smooth ride for the Taliban, who waited 20 years to return to power.

Just days after the fall of Kabul, it was widely reported that the Taliban is all set to take over the administration of Afghanistan, with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar as the head of the new government.

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The Taliban co-founder who was in Doha had also traveled back to Afghanistan, and take charge.

But that did not happen, and the government formation got delayed. Initially, it was reported that the Taliban was waiting for the fall of Panjshir to announce the new government, but that also did not happen.

Then it was said that the Taliban wanted to inaugurate its government on the anniversary of 9/11, which in fact did happen.

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But in a low-key affair, with some unexpected changes. Instead of Baradar it was Mullah Hasan Akhund, who was made the prime minister of the interim government. Baradar was made a deputy PM in the cabinet.

Power struggle

By this time, the rift within the ranks of the Taliban was out in the open, and there have been several unconfirmed reports of clashes over a power struggle.

Mullah Baradar and the Haqqani network a powerful faction of the Taliban had been engaged in a fight for control of the militia.

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Sirajuddin Haqqani is the Deputy Amir of the Afghan Taliban and in rankings of the militia holds the third position after Hibatullah Akhundzada, who is considered as the Amir. He is an UN-designated terrorist.

Though the interim government has been formed, two of the most prominent faces of the Taliban have not been seen in public for nearly a month.

Missing in action

Mullah Akhundzada and Mullah Baradar had been missing from public view, triggering rumors that they may have been killed in the power struggle.

The Taliban has so far denied the rumors and said that both the leaders are alive.

The Taliban even released photos of a handwritten note from one of Baradar¡¯s deputies saying he was in Kandahar, then shared an audio message purporting to be from Baradar, set against old photos.

¡°Mullah Bradar, deputy PM, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, in a voice message rejected all those claims that he was injured or killed in a clash. He says it is lies and totally baseless,¡± Suhail Shaheen, a Spokesman of the Taliban wrote on Twitter.

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But this has not many takers, given the Taliban's past track record and how they hid the death of Mullah Omar who died in April 2013, but was only acknowledged in September 2015.

In the two years since his death, Omar used to communicate with the Taliban over audio messages, which were released on important Islamic festivals.

Dead or alive?

Now a new report has claimed that Baradar is being held hostage, while Akhundzada is probably dead.

A report by UK-based The Spectator said that Mullah Baradar wanted more roles for Afghanistan's many ethnic minorities in the government and has also argued that the green, red and black Afghan national flag should still be flown alongside the white Taliban flag.

"Tempers flared in a meeting in Presidential Palace in Kabul and spilled over into a fight between Baradar's supporters and those of Khalil Haqqani. Some accounts said there was gunfire, although this has not been verified," the report said.

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Gunfire heard in Kabul earlier this month was actually a power struggle between two senior Taliban leaders - group co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Afghan Taliban leader, Anas Haqqani, according to some accounts.

Alleged disagreement

The incident took place over an alleged disagreement among the Taliban leaders on how to resolve the Panjshir situation.

The information about reported gunfight was shared through the unverified Twitter handle of Panjshir Observer, which describes itself as an independent news outlet covering Afghanistan and Panjshir.

Following the fight, Baradar disappeared for some days, resurfacing in Kandahar, where the group's supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada is said to be based.

"While these very public disagreements have been played out, the whereabouts of the leader of the Taliban, Haibatullah Akhunzada, are not known. He has not been seen or heard from for some time, and there are many rumours that he is dead," the report said.

"This vacuum at the top has allowed for arguments between the Taliban factions to erupt in a way that they did not when the Taliban were last in power, and the word of the leader of the movement Mullah Omar was law, even though he never came to Kabul. The titular head of the government formed earlier this month, Mullah Hassan Akhund, does not hold real power," the report said, adding that "there is no one to rein in the Haqqani network, who are very much off-message in their public statements."

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It stated that it is difficult to predict how Pakistan will manage their new power in Afghanistan.

Pakistan's hand

Pakistan intelligence chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed arrived in Kabul earlier this month leading a delegation of Pakistani officials. Hameed's emergency visit affirms that the Taliban are merely an ISI puppet.

Experts believe that Pakistan has been a key player in removing the elected Afghan government from power and establishing the Taliban as a decisive power in Afghanistan. Recently, a UN Monitoring report has said that a significant part of the leadership of Al-Qaida resides in Afghanistan and Pakistan border region.

Former Afghan Vice-President Amrullah Saleh has asserted that the Taliban are being micromanaged by Pakistan's notorious intelligence agency--the ISI, adding that Islamabad is in charge of the war-ravaged country effectively as a colonial power.

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Last week, The Guardian had also drawn a similar conclusion following the power struggle.

It said that according to Afghanistan Analysts Network Akhundzada¡¯s absence from all public and private events, nearly a month after Kabul fell, suggested that he was no longer alive.

¡°It would be strange, therefore, if Haibatullah, now that the movement is in power, were alive and still so secluded. For the moment he appears to function as a symbolic figurehead who can unify without actually appearing or speaking.¡±