File photo of former Pak PM Nawaz Sharif (L) and Taliban leader Mohammad Hassan Akhund.
New Delhi:
Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, a lesser known Taliban leader who is on UN terror list, will lead a new 'acting' government in Afghanistan. Akhund and other names were likely finalized after Pak ISI Chief Faiz Hameed visited Afghanistan at the weekend
Key points on Mullah Hassan Akhund:
- Has headed Taliban's leadership council and decision-making body, the "Rehbari Shura", for 20 years.
- Was minister in the Taliban government in Afghanistan before the war with US started in 2001.
- Known to be more of a religious than a military leader
- He is from Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban. He was among the founders of the armed movement.
- He is said to have sanctioned the destruction of the iconic Bamiyan Buddhas in 2001, declaring it a "religious duty".
