Taliban Supreme Leader Who Is Rarely Seen Attends Afghan Clerics' Meeting
NDTV
Hibatullah Akhundzada rarely leaves Kandahar, and apart from one undated photograph and several audio recordings of speeches, has almost no digital footprint.
The Taliban's reclusive supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada showed up Friday at a major gathering of clerics in the Afghan capital called to rubber-stamp the hardline Islamist group's rule over the country.
Akhundzada, who has not been filmed or photographed in public since the Taliban returned to power in August, would address the gathering later, government spokesman Bilal Karimi tweeted.
His arrival, broadcast on state radio, was greeted with cheers and chants including "Long live the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan", the Taliban's name for the country.
Over 3,000 clerics and elders have gathered in Kabul since Thursday for the three-day meeting, and Akhundzada's appearance had been rumoured for days -- although media are barred from covering the event.