Draft:Zabihullah Mujahid
| Zabihullah Mujahid | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Zabihullah Mujahid |
| Other Names | Zabihullah Mujahidi |
| Personal Details | |
| Birth Place | Afghanistan |
| Religion | Islam |
Zabihullah Mujahid is the official spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban). He is one of the two main spokespersons of the group, operating alongside Qari Yousuf Ahmadi. Mujahid is typically responsible for releasing messages regarding Taliban activities in the north, east, and center of Afghanistan, while Ahmadi focuses on the western and southern regions. Mujahid appeared publicly in Kabul for the first time on 17 August 2021 (26 Mordad 1400), showing his face. Prior to this, he regularly communicated with media via phone calls, SMS, email, Twitter, and jihadist websites, and had been appointed as the Taliban spokesperson since January 2007 following the arrest of Mohammad Hanif.
Biography
Mujahid was introduced to local and international media in Kabul on 17 August 2021 (26 Mordad 1400). He is fluent in both Pashto and Persian languages. Some journalists had identified his voice and communicated with him years prior. Mujahid describes himself as a middle-aged man, married with several children, who is constantly moving due to security threats and does not reside in a fixed location. He claims to hold a master's degree in Religious studies, but does not disclose the country of study for security reasons. During the first term of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001 CE), Mujahid worked at a low level in the Ministry of Culture and Information. He later fought alongside insurgent forces and was appointed as the official Taliban spokesperson in January 2007.
Identity
Since 2011 CE, the United States Army claimed that "Zabihullah Mujahid" was not the name of a specific individual, but a symbolic persona used by several Taliban spokespersons. Their argument was that no single individual could respond to the vast volume of media requests.
However, many journalists believed they were in contact with a specific individual despite potential changes in voice or physical identity. In 2009 CE, Nick Robertson, a CNN journalist, interviewed a man who claimed to be "Zabihullah Mujahid". This interview was broadcast in May 2009. Afterwards, the Twitter account of Zabihullah Mujahidi, with whom journalists were in contact, claimed that the interviewee was an impostor. An intelligence analyst said the man in the CNN interview might have been one of several individuals with this name, but was disavowed due to his superiors' dissatisfaction with the interview. Eventually, with the fall of Kabul in August 2021, Mujahid appeared publicly for the first time and displayed his face, confirming his physical identity.
Taliban Spokesperson
As the Taliban spokesperson, Mujahid is responsible for conveying the group's messages to the Afghan public opinion and international media. He is responsible for confirming or denying the group's responsibility for attacks across Afghanistan and publishes promotional videos of Taliban achievements on his Twitter account.
Mujahid has claimed responsibility for several major military operations, including:
- On 21 April 2017, he claimed responsibility for an attack on an army base that resulted in the death of over 140 soldiers;
- On 21 January 2019, he claimed responsibility for an attack on a National Directorate of Security training center where over 100 security personnel were killed;
- On 29 November 2020, he announced responsibility for an attack on an Afghan army base where 30 security personnel were killed.
On 17 July 2021, Mujahid apologized following the death of Dana Siddiqui, a Reuters journalist who was killed amidst clashes between Afghan forces and the Taliban. He claimed that the Taliban were unaware of his death and asked journalists to inform the Taliban before entering war zones so that journalists could be protected.
See also
References
- Zabihullah Mujahid, Tabnak website, Date posted: n.d., Date accessed: 23 Ordibehesht 1405.