| Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan | |
|---|---|
 | |
since 15 August 2021 In exile from 25 May 2016 | |
| Leadership of the Islamic Emirate | |
| Style | |
| Type | Supreme leader |
| Status | Head of state |
| Member of | Leadership Council |
| Residence | None official[2] |
| Seat | Kandahar |
| Appointer | Leadership Council |
| Term length | Life tenure |
| Constituting instrument | 1998dastur |
| Precursor | President of Afghanistan |
| Inaugural holder | Mullah Omar |
| Formation | 4 April 1996 (1996-04-04) (originally) 15 August 2021 (2021-08-15) (current form) |
| Deputy | Deputy Leader |
| Salary | ؋228,750 monthly |
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|
 Afghanistan portal |
Thesupreme leader of Afghanistan[3] (Pashto:د افغانستان مشر,romanized: Də Afġānistān Məshar,Dari:رهبر افغانستان,romanized: Rahbar-i Afghānistān), officially thesupreme leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan[4][5][note 1] and also referred to by his religious titleAmir al-Mu'minin (Arabic,lit. 'Commander of the Faithful'), is the absolute ruler,head of state, and national religious leader ofAfghanistan, as well as the leader of theTaliban.[10][11][12] The supreme leader wields unlimited authority and is the ultimate source of all law.[12][13][14]
The first supreme leader,Mullah Omar, ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 before his government was overthrown by the United States and he was forced into exile. The current supreme leader isHibatullah Akhundzada, who assumed office in exile during theTaliban insurgency on 25 May 2016, upon being chosen by theLeadership Council, and came to power on 15 August 2021 with the Taliban'svictory over Afghan government forces in 2021. Since coming to power, Akhundzada has issuednumerous decrees that have profoundly reshaped government and daily life in Afghanistan by implementing his strict interpretation of theHanafi school ofSharia law.
The supreme leader appoints and manages the activities of theprime minister and other members of theCabinet, as well as judges andprovincial and local leaders.[12]
The office was established byMullahMohammed Omar, who founded both theTaliban and theoriginal Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in the 1990s. On 4 April 1996, inKandahar, followers of Omar bestowed upon him the titleAmir al-Mu'minin (أمير المؤمنين), meaning "Commander of the Faithful", as Omar had helda cloak taken fromits shrine in the city, asserted to be that of theIslamic prophetMuhammad.[15][16] The Taliban seized control of Kabul on 27 September 1996, ousting PresidentBurhanuddin Rabbani and installing Omar as the country's head of state.[17]
The Taliban views theQuran as its constitution. However, it approved adastur, a document akin to abasic law, in 1998, which proclaimed Omar supreme leader but did not outline a succession process. In 1996 interview,Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil stated that the Amir al-Mu'minin is "only for Afghanistan", rather than acaliph claiming leadership of all Muslims worldwide.[18][19]
Following theSeptember 11 attacks and theUnited States invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, Omar was deposed and went into hiding inZabul Province, and thepresidency was restored as Afghanistan's head of state. The Taliban reorganized foran insurgency in 2002, based out of Pakistan. They continued to claim Omar as their supreme leader, though he had little involvement in the insurgency, having turned over operational control to his deputies.[20] Though the Taliban continued to maintain the office of the supreme leader in exile, it had no diplomatic recognition.
Following itsoffensive in 2021, the Talibanrecaptured Kabul on 15 August and restored the supreme leader as Afghanistan's head of state.[21][22][23][11]
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The supreme leader is appointed by theLeadership Council.[24]
Under Omar, the leader held absolute power, and the Taliban's interpretation ofSharia was entirely his decision.
Under the 1998 draft constitution of the first Islamic Emirate, the Leader of the Faithful would appoint justices of theSupreme Court.[25]
Under the current government, however, the Emir has final authority on political appointments, as well as political, religious, and military affairs. The Emir carries out much of his work through the Rabbari Shura, or theLeadership Council (which he chairs[26]), based inKandahar, which oversees the work of theCabinet, and appointment of individuals to key posts within the cabinet.[27]
However, in a report fromAl Jazeera, the Cabinet has no authority, with all decisions being made confidentially by Akhundzada and the Leadership Council.[28] The supreme leader receives the highest government salary in the reinstated Islamic Emirate, at 228,750Afghan afghanis monthly.[29]
| No. | Name (Birth–death) | Additional position(s) held | Term of office (including in exile) | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| 1 | Mullah Mohammed Omar (died 2013) | – | 4 April 1996 (1996-04-04) Ruler of Afghanistan from 27 September 1996 (1996-09-27) | 23 April 2013 (2013-04-23) Ruler of Afghanistan until 13 November 2001 (2001-11-13) | 17 years, 19 days Ruler of Afghanistan for5 years, 47 days | [15][30][31] |
| 2 | Mullah Akhtar Mansour (1960s–2016) | First Deputy Leader (2010–2015) | 23 April 2013 (2013-04-23) | 29 July 2015 (2015-07-29) | 2 years, 97 days[note 2] | [32][33][34] |
| – | 29 July 2015 (2015-07-29) | 21 May 2016 (2016-05-21) | 297 days | |||
| 3 | Sheikh al-Hadith Mullah Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada | First Deputy Leader (2015–2016) and Chief Justice (2001–2016) | 21 May 2016 (2016-05-21) | 25 May 2016 (2016-05-25) | 4 days | [35][36][11] |
| – | 25 May 2016 (2016-05-25) Ruler of Afghanistan since 15 August 2021 (2021-08-15) | Incumbent | 9 years, 182 days Ruler of Afghanistan for4 years, 100 days | |||
| Deputy Leaders of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| ||||
| Leadership of the Islamic Emirate | ||||
| Status | Deputyhead of state | |||
| Member of | Leadership Council[37] | |||
| Reports to | Supreme Leader[38] | |||
| Seat | Kandahar (Yaqoob)[39] | |||
| Appointer | Supreme Leader | |||
| Term length | At the pleasure of the supreme leader | |||
| Precursor | Vice President of Afghanistan | |||
| Inaugural holder | Mohammad Rabbani[40] | |||
| Formation | 15 August 2021 (2021-08-15) (current form) 4 April 1996 (1996-04-04) (originally) | |||
| Succession | Acting (in order of deputy rank)[32][41] | |||
Thedeputy leader of Afghanistan, officially thedeputy leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Pashto:د افغانستان د اسلامي امارت مرستیال,[42][romanization needed]Dari:معاون امارت اسلامی افغانستان[43][romanization needed]), is the deputyemir of the Taliban, tasked with assisting the supreme leader with his duties.[44][38] All three supreme leaders of the Taliban have had deputies, with the number of deputies fluctuating between one and three.[45] Akhundzada has three deputies:Sirajuddin Haqqani,Mullah Yaqoob, andAbdul Ghani Baradar. Haqqani was first appointed as a deputy leader byAkhtar Mansour in 2015, and was retained by Akhundzada. Upon assuming office in 2016, Akhundzada appointed Yaqoob, a son of Mullah Omar, as a second deputy. Akhundzada appointed Baradar as a third deputy in 2019.[46]
Since the 2021 return of power to the Taliban, Akhundzada has grown more isolated and he has primarily communicated through his three deputies rather than holding meetings with other Taliban leaders. The deputies' exclusive access to Akhundzada has grown their power.[13][47]
This leadership structure remains in place, with Shaikh Hibatullah Akhundzada serving as supreme leader, aided by the three deputies
Haqqani has a $10 million bounty on his head from the U.S. government and works as a deputy emir of the Taliban
{{cite web}}:|author1= has generic name (help) Daoud Republic(President) | |
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 Democratic Republic(Chairman) | |
 Islamic State(President) | |
| Islamic Emirate(Supreme Leader) | |
 Transitional Islamic State(President) | |
 Islamic Republic(President) | |
| Islamic Emirate(Supreme Leader) | |
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