KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban’s Directorate of Information and Culture in Herat has begun distributing 9,000 copies of Hibatullah Akhundzada’s Eid message across the province, local authorities report.
Farid Ahmad Ayubi, Taliban’s provincial head of information at the directorate, stated that the message, available in Pashto and Farsi, has been in circulation today, marking the observance of Eid ul-Fitr
In an audio message, the Taliban’s supreme leader condemned Nowruz as a “festival of ignorance” and urged Afghans not to believe reports about poverty and economic hardship in the country.
Akhundzada also defended the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, a body widely accused of human rights violations, claiming its officers work to “prevent all forms of corruption” and “reform the people.”
The Taliban’s Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs has instructed Eid prayer leaders to incorporate Akhundzada’s message into their sermons.
The Taliban have previously printed and distributed Akhundzada’s statements for both Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, often emphasizing “obedience” and “piety” as essential for maintaining Taliban rule.
Akhundzada, a reclusive hardline cleric from the Noorzai Pashtun tribe, has consolidated absolute control over the Taliban’s political, military, judicial, and religious affairs since their return to power in August 2021. Operating from the group’s Kandahar stronghold, he remains out of public view, avoiding media appearances and contact with foreign entities.
