Abdul Ghani Baradar
Abdul Ghani Baradar (born 29 September 1963 or c. 1968; known by the honorific mullah) is an Afghan political and religious leader who is the acting first deputy prime minister, alongside Abdul Salam Hanafi, of Afghanistan. A co-founder of the Taliban along with Mullah Omar, he was Omar's top deputy from 2002 to 2010, and since 2019 he has been the Taliban's fourth-in-command, as the third of Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada's three deputies.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar | |
|---|---|
عبدالغني برادر | |
Baradar in 2020 | |
| First Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs of Afghanistan | |
Acting | |
| Assumed office 7 September 2021 | |
| Supreme Leader | Hibatullah Akhundzada |
| Prime Minister | Hasan Akhund (acting) |
| Preceded by | Hasan Akhund (2001) |
| Third Deputy Leader of Afghanistan | |
| Assumed office 15 August 2021 Serving with Sirajuddin Haqqani and Mullah Yaqoob | |
| Supreme Leader | Hibatullah Akhundzada |
| In exile 24 January 2019 – 15 August 2021 | |
| Supreme Leader | Hibatullah Akhundzada |
| Preceded by | New seat |
| Head of the Economic Commission | |
| Assumed office 2022 | |
| Supreme Leader | Hibatullah Akhundzada |
| Head of the Political Office of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan | |
| In exile 24 January 2019 – 17 August 2021 | |
| Supreme Leader | Hibatullah Akhundzada |
| Preceded by | Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai |
| Succeeded by | Suhail Shaheen |
| First Deputy Leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan | |
| In exile May 2002 – 8 February 2010 | |
| Supreme Leader | Mullah Omar |
| Preceded by | Mohammad Rabbani |
| Succeeded by | Akhtar Mansour |
| Deputy Minister of Defense of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan | |
| In office 27 September 1996 – c. April 1997 | |
| Prime Minister | Mohammad Rabbani |
| Supreme Leader | Mullah Omar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 September 1963 or c. 1968 (age 55–56) Yatimak, Deh Rawood District, Uruzgan Province, Kingdom of Afghanistan |
| Awards | 100 Most Influential People in 2021 by Time magazine |
| Political affiliation | Taliban |
| Website | Government website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Afghanistan |
| Branch/service | Armed Forces of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001) |
| Rank | Corps Commander Deputy Chief of Staff Chief of Staff |
| Commands | Western Afghanistan Corps Central Corps, Kabul |
| Battles/wars | Soviet–Afghan War Afghan Civil War (1996–2001) War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) |
He held senior positions in the Taliban during their first rule from 1996 to 2001. After the Taliban government fell to the US-led invasion in 2001, he rose to lead the organization's Quetta Shura in Pakistan, becoming the de facto leader of the Taliban. He was imprisoned by Pakistan in 2010, possibly because he had been discussing a peace deal with the Afghan government secretly, without the involvement of Pakistan. He was released in 2018 at the request of the United States and was subsequently appointed a deputy leader of the Taliban and head of their political office in Qatar. Following the Taliban victory in August 2021, he returned to Afghanistan and received his current government post.
Baradar is considered to be a moderate Taliban member. U.S. President Donald Trump co-signed the February 2020 Doha agreement with him that led to the full withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan. After the agreement was signed, the Taliban launched a military offensive against the Afghan government on 15 August 2021, while the U.S. withdrawal was still underway. On 15 September 2021, Baradar was listed on Time magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential People In 2021" for his role in the Taliban's victory.