Haibatullah Akhundzada: Shadowy Taliban supreme leader whose son was suicide bomber

FILE PHOTO: Taliban leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada is seen in an undated photograph, posted on a Taliban Twitter feed on May 25, 2016, and identified separately by several Taliban officials, who declined to be named. Social Media/File Photo /File Photo

(Reuters) - In one of the only known photographs of Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, he stares directly at the camera - an expressionless face between a white turban and a long, grey beard.

As the Islamist movement unveiled its new government https://www.reuters.com/world/india/taliban-fire-air-scatter-kabul-protesters-no-reports-injuries-2021-09-07 on Tuesday after it swept to power as U.S.-led forces withdrew last month, the mysterious Akhundzada retained the role of supreme leader, the ultimate authority over the group's political, religious, and military affairs he has held since 2016.