Leadership Council of Afghanistan

Leadership Council

رهبری شُورَىٰ

Rahbarī Shūrā
Flag of Afghanistan
Flag of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Type
Type
Term limits
None
History
Founded
  • 15 August 2021 (2021-08-15) (current form)
  • 4 April 1996 (1996-04-04) (originally)[1]
Preceded byNational Assembly
Leadership
Hibatullah Akhundzada
since 15 August 2021
In exile from 25 May 2016
First
Deputy
Sirajuddin Haqqani
since 15 August 2021
In exile from 25 May 2016
Second
Deputy
Mullah Yaqoob
since 15 August 2021
In exile from 25 May 2016
Third
Deputy
Abdul Ghani Baradar
since 15 August 2021
In exile from 24 January 2019
Structure
SeatsApproximately 30
Political groups
Taliban (all seats)
CommitteesCommissions
Length of term
No fixed term
Authority1998 dastur
Composition method
Appointment by the supreme leader
Meeting place
Kandahar

The Leadership Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,[2] also translated as the Supreme Council[3] (Pashto: رهبری شُورَىٰ, romanized: Rahbarī Shūrā,[4] also referred to as the Inner Shura),[5][6] is an advisory council to the Supreme Leader of Afghanistan. The supreme leader convenes and chairs the council at his sole discretion. He has ultimate authority and may override or circumvent it at any time. It played a key role in directing the Taliban insurgency from Quetta, Pakistan, which led to it being informally referred to as the Quetta Shura at the time.

During the Taliban insurgency, a consensus-based decision model was used among members of the Quetta Shura. After the 2021 return to power of the Taliban, Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada centralized power and began to communicate mostly through his three deputies.[7][8] In March 2023, Oxford Analytica reported that he had not convened the Leadership Council for several months, instead consulting the local Kandahar provincial council of clerics for advice.[9]

Politics of Afghanistan
Constitution
Government
Judiciary
Law enforcement
Administrative divisions
Elections
Foreign relations
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  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Stanford was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference IEA website 31/8/21 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Chughtai, Alia (7 September 2021). "Who are the men leading the Taliban's new government?". Reuters. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference VOA 29-8-2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Schmitt, Eric; Mazzetti, Mark (24 September 2009). "Taliban widens Afghan attacks from Pakistan". The New York Times. NBC News. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  6. ^ Jones, Seth G. (6 November 2011). "Why the Haqqani Network is The Wrong Target". Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  7. ^ T. S. Tirumurti (26 May 2022). "Letter dated 25 May 2022 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) addressed to the President of the Security Council" (PDF). United Nations Security Council. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  8. ^ Dawi, Akmal (28 March 2023). "Unseen Taliban Leader Wields Godlike Powers in Afghanistan". Voice of America. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  9. ^ Oxford Analytica (10 March 2023). "Senior Afghan Taliban figures move to curb leader". Expert Briefings. Emerald Expert Briefings. doi:10.1108/OXAN-DB276639. [Akhundzada] has not convened the Taliban's Leadership Council (a 'politburo' of top leaders and commanders) for several months. Instead, he relies on the narrower Kandahar Council of Clerics for legal advice.