Who Leads the Taliban?

Taliban fighters captured major areas in quick succession on their way to seizing Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, Sunday, 20 years after U.S.-led forces knocked the group from power. Here are some of its key leaders.

Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada He is the Taliban’s supreme leader, a position he took following the death of his predecessor, Akhtar Mansour, in a 2016 U.S. drone strike.  He previously served as a senior judge in the court system during the Taliban’s earlier rule of Afghanistan.  After the 2001 U.S. invasion, he fled across the border into Pakistan.  His public profile has been limited, mainly consisting of the release of messages during Islamic holidays. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar