Spokesmen for the movement that seized power in the country in mid-August said Sunday that the Taliban’s supreme leader, Hebatullah Akhundzada, who has never appeared in public, is in Afghanistan, in the city of Kandahar.
“He is in Kandahar. He has been living there since the beginning,” said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
“It will soon appear in public,” deputy spokesman Bilal Karimi said.
The exact role of Hebatullah Akhundzada, who has been leading the Taliban since 2016, is not known, as his public activity is limited to annual messages during Islamic holidays.
It has never appeared in public, even since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US forces.
The Taliban has always kept its supreme leader in the shadows.
