Taliban has taken full control over Kabul and has folded the Afghanistan official flag at the presidential palace. With seizing control of Kabul and all top provincial capitals of Afghanistan, its top leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is most likely to become the next President of the war-ravaged nation.
President Ashraf Ghani and other top diplomats have already left the country after the Taliban sealed a nationwide military victory. In its victory, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has now emerged as the undisputed leader of the insurgent group.
Who Is Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar?
Born in Uruzgan province in 1968, Baradar is also the co-founder of the insurgent group. He is the second senior-most leader in the Taliban hierarchy after Haibatullah Akhundzada. He was freed from a Pakistani jail at the request of the US less than three years ago. Baradar is also the political chief and Taliban’s most notable public face today.
Being one of the most important Taliban leaders, he was responsible for commanding their daily operations and he also used to retrieve funds from the world. As the Taliban collapsed in 2001, he was their deputy minister of defence.
Baradar’s Political Journey As A Pro Talibani
Baradar had fought in the Afghan Mujahideen against the Soviet Army in the 1980s. After the exit of Russians in 1992, a civil war erupted between rival warlords.During that time, Baradar set up a madrassa in Kandahar with his former commander and reputed brother-in-law, Mohammad Omar. Together, the two mullahs founded the Taliban, a movement spearheaded by young Islamic scholars dedicated to the religious purification of the country and the creation of an emirate.
Baradar Was the deputy minister of defence during Taliban’s earlier regime and has controlled Taliban’s funds, and played a key role in the several wars that inflicted Afghanistan. After the 9/11 attack and US’ subsequent invasion that toppled the Islamist regime in 2001, Baradar emerged as “a linchpin of the insurgency”
Baradar was credited for his effective strategy, and was widely hailed as a key architect of all Taliban victories.He maintained a low-profile for almost a decade before finding his way to the headlines in 2010 when he was arrested by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), in a joint US-Pakistan operation.
