Latest picture of Taliban chief Haibatullah Akhundzada revealed

KABUL: A latest picture of Afghan Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, taken during a visit to a library in Kandahar, was revealed by the local media Monday.

Pajhwok Afghan News retweeted the picture of the Taliban supremo having a chat inside a library with books in the background. A cup of green tea can also be seen in the picture.

According to media reports, the picture was taken last week. “This is reportedly the new face of Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah,” stated the news agency.

The whereabouts of the Taliban chief have remained unknown but a spokesperson of the movement had on Sunday said that he is in Afghanistan and will soon make a public appearance.

“He is present in Kandahar. He has been living there from the very beginning,” said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

“He will soon appear in public,” added deputy spokesman Bilal Karimi.

Akhundzada has shepherded the Taliban as its chief since 2016 when snatched from relative obscurity to oversee a movement in crisis.

Little is still known about Akhundzada’s day-to-day role, with his public profile largely limited to the release of annual messages during Islamic holidays. He has yet to issue any kind of statement since the Taliban swept to power and took control of Afghanistan in mid-August.

The Taliban have a long history of keeping their top leader in the shadows. The group’s enigmatic founder Mullah Mohammad Omar was notorious for his hermit ways and rarely travelled to Kabul when the group was in power in the 1990s.

Instead, Mullah Omar stayed largely out of sight in his compound in Kandahar, reluctant even to meet visiting delegations.