Taliban shares rare chilling audio message from its mysterious supreme leader

13 April 2023 , 14:22

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There is only one photo of Hibatullah Akhundzada in existence, which is years old (Image: Afghan Taliban/AFP via Getty Ima)

The Taliban has shared a rare audio message from their supreme leader saying justice key for the Afghan government to survive.

Islamic scholar Hibatullah Akhundzada almost never appears in public and hardly ever leaves the Taliban heartland in southern Kandahar province.

He surrounds himself with other religious scholars and allies who are against education and work for women.

There is only one known photo of him in existence which is years old.

Akhundzada has travelled to Kabul only once since the August 2021 Taliban takeover to give a speech to a gathering of clerics.

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But he was not shown in media coverage at the closed event and appeared with his back to the audience.

His rare audio message was shared via Twitter on Wednesday by the Taliban's main spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

Taliban security personnel standing guard to remove the window tint films from commuter cars at a checkpoint in Fayzabad on April 4, 2023 (AFP via Getty Images)

In his address, Akhundzada said justice is an instrument for the government's survival.

"If there is no justice and there is oppression, selfishness, murders and revenge, as well as killings without courts, this country will be ruined," Akhundzada can be heard saying.

"This oppression can be prevented through the right decision of religious scholars and its proper implementation by the government."

The Mirror Online has not been able to independently verify the voice on the audio message as Akhundzada's.

Mujahid gave no information in his tweet about where the message was recorded, when, or the reason for its release.

Afghan Taliban fighters and villagers attend a gathering (NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The spokesman was not immediately available to answer questions about the clip.

Ahmed Rashid, who has written several books about the Taliban, said there was no context to the clip and it addressed none of the issues facing the Taliban, like women's rights and the country's deepening humanitarian crisis.

"He has picked up something that is important for the Taliban but which is irrelevant to the population at large," said Rashid.

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"There doesn't seem to be a political purpose to this clip.

"It's very unusual to hear from him. People will be puzzling over this for days to come as since he's been in power he has kept himself aloof."

One expert said there was no context to the clip and it addressed none of the issues facing the Taliban (AFP via Getty Images)

In January, Mujahid tweeted that Akhundzada met religious scholars from different provinces. He also tweeted about the leader's February meeting with commanders and other high-ranking security officials.

Akhundzada has appeared to take a stronger hand in directing domestic policy in the last six months.

It was on his orders, from Kandahar, that the Taliban barred women and girls from universities and schools after the sixth grade and stopped Afghan women from working at NGOs and the UN.

He was named Taliban leader in 2016 after a U.S. airstrike killed his predecessor Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour in Pakistan.

Laura Sharman