Hundreds of Taliban fighters attended rounds of training programs in northern Faryab province to learn how to fulfill obedience to the group’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.
Local Taliban authorities in Faryab said that 400 Taliban fighters as well as its officials received training over the course of a two-week program.
“We were guided by religious scholars on how should we obey the commands of the supreme leader,” one of the participants said.
It is said that such training programs will be held for all Taliban members on a regular basis.
Shoaib Rasalat, Taliban’s governor of Faryab stated that employees and officials have also attended these trainings with his own presence.
“Everyone is obliged to obey the commands of the Amir-ul Mominen—the supreme leader—be it oral or written,” He said. “No one can disobey his orders.”
Two years after their takeover, the Taliban rules the country in accordance with their strict interpretation of Sharia law and hardline policies, particularly cracking down on the rights of women and girls.
According to the UN Security Council’s Monitoring report, Akhundzada retains his tight grip on all decision-making and remains the group’s undisputed authority. He has sweeping control over the group’s political, military, judicial, and religious affairs, and remains reclusive and encircled by his ultra-conservative clique.
