Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - In Kabul on Friday, religious leaders from all around the nation gathered to discuss national unity with...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - In Kabul on Friday, religious leaders from all around the nation gathered to discuss national unity with the Afghan Taliban's secretive supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, who congratulated them on the Islamists' control of the country.
Taliban spokesmen acknowledged that the conference of more than 3,000 male attendees was being attended by the leader, who is headquartered in the southern city of Kandahar.
Participants raised their hands to pledge allegiance, and Akhundzada accepted them. He then congratulated the crowd on the Taliban's victory in Afghanistan, which occurred in August after the group's 20-year battle against foreign and U.S.-backed Afghan forces.
According to the state-run Bakhtar News Agency, he remarked, "The success of the Afghan jihad is not only a source of pride for Afghans but also for Muslims all over the world." He used the Arabic term for a spiritual fight.
The mysterious Akhundzada kept the position of supreme leader, the group's highest authority, which he has held since 2016 as the Islamist movement unveiled its interim government in September in response to the withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign forces and the fall of a U.S.-backed government. However, he is rarely seen in public.
Under heavy security, the Kabul gathering got started on Thursday.
The Taliban spokespeople said that persistent gunfire that broke out at one point close to the site was caused by security personnel firing at a "suspicious area," adding that the situation had been brought under control.
It was not immediately obvious how widely supported the plan was, but at least one participant had asked for the opening of girls' high schools.
In his Friday address to the gathering, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the deputy Taliban leader and acting interior minister, stated that the world demanded inclusive government and education and that the problems required time.
He remarked, "We are here to make our future according to Islam and to national interests. This gathering is about trust and interaction.
When the Taliban reneged on their promise that all schools would reopen in March, many of the girls who had arrived at their high schools broke down in tears, drawing ire from Western nations whose tight sanctions are seriously harming the Afghan economy.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid stated that while they would respect the decisions made during the meeting, the supreme leader will ultimately have the final say on girls' education.
Akhundzada, a hardline cleric whose son carried out suicide bombings, has spent the majority of his time in power behind the scenes, letting others take the initiative in the negotiations that led to the United States and its allies leaving Afghanistan last August after 20 years of gruelling counter-insurgency warfare.
