Hibatullah Akhundzada

Hibatullah Akhundzada (Pashto: هَبَّتِ اللَّهُ اخْنُدَزَادَهُ‎code: ps is deprecated ; born 26 March 1957) is an Afghan politician, soldier, scholar, cleric, and jurist who is the 2nd and the current Supreme Leader of Afghanistan since 2021 and as well as the 3rd Leader of the Taliban since 2016 following a drone that strike killed his predecessor, Akhtar Mansour. Since the Fall of Kabul in August 2021, Akhundzada became Afghanistan's Supreme Leader with absolute powers over the country.

His Excellency Amir al-Mu'minin Mullah Mawlawi Sheikh al-Hadith Hibatullah Akhundzada
هَبَّتِ اللَّهُ اخْنُدَزَادَهُ‎
2nd Supreme Leader of Afghanistan
Incumbent
Assumed office 15 August 2021
Prime Minister	Hasan Akhund
Deputy	First Deputy Sirajuddin Haqqani Second Deputy Mohammed Yaqoob Third Deputy Abdul Ghani Baradar
Preceded by	Ashraf Ghani (as President) Mohammed Omar (as Supreme Leader)
3rd Leader of the Taliban
Incumbent
Assumed office 25 May 2016 Acting: 21–25 May 2016
Deputy	First Deputies Himself Sirajuddin Haqqani Second Deputy Mohammed Yaqoob Third Deputy Abdul Ghani Baradar
Preceded by	Akhtar Mansour
4th First Deputy Leader of the Taliban
In office 29 July 2015 – 25 May 2016 Serving with Sirajuddin Haqqani
Leader	Akhtar Mansour Himself (Acting)
Preceded by	Akhtar Mansour
Succeeded by	Sirajuddin Haqqani
2nd Chief Justice of the Taliban
In office c. 2001 – 25 May 2016
Leader	Mohammed Omar Akhtar Mansoor Himself (Acting)
Preceded by	Noor Mohammad Saqib
Succeeded by	Abdul Hakim Ishaqzai
Head of the Eastern Zone Military Court
In office c. 1996 – c. 2001
Leader	Mohammed Omar
Head of the Military Court of Kabul
In office c. 1995 – c. 2001
Leader	Mohammed Omar
Personal details
Born	26 March 1957 (aged 68) Nakhuni, Panjwayi District, Kandahar Province, Kingdom of Afghanistan
Political party	Taliban (1994–present)
Parents	Muhammad Akhund (Father)
Residence	Kandahar
Occupation	Politician, Soldier
Profession	Scholar, Cleric, Jurist
Ethnicity	Pashtun
Religion	Sunni Islam
Movement	Deobandi
Military service
Allegiance	Afghanistan
Branch/service	Hezb-i Islami Khalis Taliban
Years of service	1987–present
Rank	15px Marshal
Commands	Afghan Army
Battles/wars	Afghan conflict Soviet–Afghan War Afghan Civil War (1989–1992) Afghan Civil War (1992–1996) Afghan Civil War (1996–2001) War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)

In 2020, he sent Abdul Ghani Baradar to Doha to hold peace talks with the U.S. by meeting the then-U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo where they signed the US–Taliban Deal which made the U.S agree to Withdraw its Troops from Afghanistan.

Akhundzada also held a phone conversation with then-U.S. President, Donald Trump the same year where they agreed to have diplomatic relationships with the two countries if Trump won the election even though it never happened as Trump lost the election. However, while announcing the talk, Trump did not mention Akhundzada's name. In July 2021, while recalling his phone conversation with Akhundzada, Trump got his name wrong referring to Akhundzada as "Mohammed" rather than "Hibatullah".

Akhundzada led the Taliban to victory against the Afghan government in a 2021 military offensive—while the U.S. withdrawal was still underway—then became Afghanistan’s absolute ruler and imposed a totalitarian Islamist government. His government has been criticized for sweeping infringements on human rights, including the rights of women and girls to work and education. On his orders, the Taliban administration has prevented most teenage girls from returning to secondary school education. In July 2022, while attending a religious gathering in Kabul, Akhundzada lashed out at the demands of the international community on his government, ruling out any talks or compromise on his "Islamic system" of governance.

Hibatullah Akhundzada Media

• Hibatullah Akhundzada OCS wordmark.png

  Calligraphic depiction of Akhundzada's name used on Afghan government websites