Mullah Yaqoob
ملا محمد یعقوب "فرزند" امیرالمومنین ملا محمد عمر مجاہد
Mohammad Yaqoob | |
|---|---|
محمد یعقوب | |
 Yaqoob in 2022 | |
| Acting Defense Minister of Afghanistan | |
| Assumed office 7 September 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Hasan Akhund (acting) |
| Deputy | Mohammad Fazl (acting) Abdul Qayyum Zakir (acting) |
| Leader | Hibatullah Akhundzada |
| Preceded by | Abdul Qayyum Zakir (acting) |
| Second Deputy Leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan | |
| Assumed office (as deputy head of state of Afghanistan) 15 August 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Sarwar Danish (as Second Vice President) |
| Assumed office 25 May 2016 | |
| Leader | Hibatullah Akhundzada |
| Preceded by | Sirajuddin Haqqani |
| Head of the Military Commission of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan | |
| Assumed office 7 May 2020 | |
| Deputy | Ibrahim Sadr |
| Preceded by | Ibrahim Sadr |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1990 (age 34–35) |
| Nationality | Afghan |
| Parent |
|
| Ethnicity | Pashtun |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Political affiliation | Taliban |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan |
| Branch/service |
|
| Commands |
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| Battles/wars | War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) |
Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid[1] (Pashto/Template:Lang-prs, Pashto pronunciation: [mʊˈhamad jaˈqub], Dari pronunciation: [mʊˈhammad jaːˈqʊb]; born 1990) is an Afghan Islamic scholar, cleric, and Islamist militant[2] who has served as the second deputy leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban) since 2016. Since the 2021 fall of Kabul, this position has made him the de facto second deputy head of state of Afghanistan. He has also been the Taliban's military chief since 2020, and is the acting defense minister of Afghanistan in the Islamic Emirate's caretaker cabinet.
Biography
Yaqoob is an ethnic Pashtun of the Hotak tribe, which is part of the larger Ghilji branch. He is the eldest son of the late Taliban founder Mohammed Omar.[3] He received his religious education in various seminaries in Karachi, Pakistan.[4]
When his father died in April 2013 and rumors escalated that he had been assassinated by rival Akhtar Mansour, Yaqoob denied the rumor, insisting that his father had died of natural causes.[5]
Leadership positions
In 2016, Yaqoob was assigned by the Taliban to be in charge of the military commission in 15 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces. The military commission, then headed by Ibrahim Sadr, is responsible for overseeing all military affairs of the Taliban. In addition, Yaqoob was included in the Taliban's top decision-making council, the Rehbari Shura.[6]
Mansour's death was announced on 21 May 2016 and he was replaced by Hibatullah Akhundzada as the Taliban leader. Sirajuddin Haqqani, a deputy to Mansour and leader of the Haqqani network, retained his position as Taliban deputy leader to Akhundzada, and Yaqoob was appointed the second deputy to the Taliban chief.[7][8]
COVID-19 pandemic
On 7 May 2020 he was appointed head of the Taliban military commission, replacing Sadr and making Yaqoob the insurgents' military chief.[9] On 29 May 2020, influential senior Taliban commander Mualana Muhammad Ali Jan Ahmed told Foreign Policy that Yaqoob became the acting leader to the entire Taliban after Akhundzada and First Deputy Leader Sirajuddin Haqqani became ill with COVID-19, stating "Our hero, the son of our great leader, Mullah Yaqoob, is running the entire Taliban operation in Haibatullah's absence."[10]
Provisional Taliban government
Yaqoob is the acting defense minister of Afghanistan in the Caretaker Cabinet of the Islamic Emirate, appointed on 7 September 2021.[11]
Views
Mohammed Yaqoob supported a negotiated settlement to the War in Afghanistan. An avid supporter of former leader of the Taliban Akhtar Mansour, Yaqoob is pro-Saudi, has a reputation as a peace-advocating moderate, and is believed to have ties with the former government of Afghanistan.[12]
References
- ^ a b "Acting Defense Minister visits 205th Al-Badr corps". Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan – Voice of Jihad. Helmand. 13 March 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
- ^ Bezhan, Frud (27 August 2020). "The Rise Of Mullah Yaqoob, The Taliban's New Military Chief". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
- ^ "Database". www.afghan-bios.info. Archived from the original on 2018-09-06. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
- ^ Khan, Tahir (10 May 2020). "Mullah Omar's eldest son takes control of Taliban's military wing". Arab News. Retrieved 31 August 2021. Archived 2020-05-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Ahmad, Jibran (14 September 2015). "Taliban's Mullah Omar died of natural causes in Afghanistan, son says". Reuters. Archived from the original on 7 December 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- ^ "Senior Taliban military position given to Mullah Omar's son Mullah Yaqoob". Pakistan Today. April 5, 2016. Archived from the original on May 29, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
- ^ Gul, Ayaz (May 25, 2016). "Taliban Names New Leader, Confirms Mansoor Death". Voice of America VOA News. Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
- ^ "Taliban in Afghanistan: who is in charge?". The National. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
- ^ Farmer, Ben (7 May 2020). "Taliban founder's son appointed military chief of insurgents". The Telegraph. Retrieved 31 August 2021. Archived 2020-05-12 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ O'Donnell, Lynne; Khan, Mirwais (29 May 2020). "Taliban Leadership in Disarray on Verge of Peace Talks". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 2020-06-07. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
- ^ "Hardliners get key posts in new Taliban government". BBC News. 7 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ Bezhan, Frud (August 27, 2021). "The Rise Of Mullah Yaqoob, The Taliban's New Military Chief". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 10 September 2021.