Taliban Leader Urges Unity In Paktia Amid Tensions With Haqqani Faction

Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada met with senior officials in Paktia province on Thursday, 10 April, calling for unity and obedience, the group’s spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid announced.

The rare gathering in a Haqqani network stronghold highlights internal dynamics within the Taliban’s leadership.

The meeting, attended by Paktia’s governor Mehrullah Hamad, the provincial police chief, intelligence head, and other key figures, centred on reinforcing discipline.

Akhundzada stressed that obeying superiors, including ministers, is “obligatory” and demanded strict implementation of Sharia law across economic, political, and military domains, Mujahid said. He also underscored the promotion of “Islamic rulings” and the “propagation of virtue.”

Akhundzada addressed Afghanistan’s chronic poverty, which he has previously called “divine destiny” and a product of “intelligence agency propaganda,” without offering specific economic solutions. He urged Taliban members to eradicate “hostility, disputes, and ethnic prejudices” while focusing on national security.

The timing and location of the meeting point to underlying rivalries, particularly with acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, whose network holds significant sway in Paktia. Analysts see the visit as an attempt to strengthen authority amid these internal challenges.