By: Rukhshana Media
Thousands attended a grand summit in Kandahar city, with Haibatullah Akhunzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader, being present, on Thursday, August 18, sources said.
Haibatullah, who rarely appeared in meetings and gatherings in the past, spoke directly to the participants of the Kandahar summit, showing his face for the first time.
One source, who was present in the gathering and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said 17 Taliban leaders including Akhunzada addressed the participants but none of them mentioned women issues like the closure of girls’ schools.
Women’s right of inheritance and prevention of forced marriage were, however, mentioned in the statement released after the gathering.
The Taliban imposed numerous restrictions on women since they regained power one year ago.
Akhunzada also attended a major gathering in Kabul held in June in which he addressed thousands of participants with his back to the audience, refusing to show his face.
On Thursday, he arrived at the summit in the afternoon, and no one was allowed to take photos or video of him.
In the beginning of the summit, journalists were allowed to bring their cameras and smartphones but the Taliban took them away when their leader entered the hall.
The first source said Haibatullah’s look was much different from the photo of him from a few years ago which is being shared in the media.
The second source, who also spoke on the condition that we don’t use his name, said the person who appeared on Thursday was Akhunzada’s brother, not himself.
