The Leadership Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is an advisory council to the supreme leader of Afghanistan and a central Taliban leadership body that has been maintained continuously since the movement formed its first government in 1996. It is empowered to appoint the supreme leader in the event of a vacancy. The supreme leader has ultimate authority and may override or circumvent the council at any time, convening it as often as he desires. It is one of many support organizations that surround the supreme leader in Kandahar, which together with the supreme leader are called the Leadership of the Islamic Emirate. The way it has been used has varied over time with changing circumstances. 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. 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.
Powers and duties The council is the supreme governing body of the Taliban and the government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. It functions under a consensus decision-making model, and is chaired by the supreme leader. The Leadership Council appoints the supreme leader in the event of a vacancy. Under the first supreme leader, Mullah Omar, the role of the council was purely advisory, but an agreement to rule by consensus was formed upon the contentious appointment of Akhtar Mansour as the second supreme leader. However, the supreme leader may still override or circumvent the council at any time—the consensus model is merely a convention.
Current shura (2021–present) There are approximately 30 members. The following bodies make up the Leadership Council:
Border Commission Commission for Agriculture, Livestock, Ushr and Zakat Commission for Cultural Affairs Commission for Financial Affairs Commission for Preaching and Guidance, Recruitment and Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice Commission for Prevention of Civilian Casualties and Complaints Commission for Prisoners' Affairs Commission for Training, Learning and Higher Education Commission of Military Affairs Department for the Affairs of Needy, Orphans and Disabled Department of Power Distribution Economic Commission Guidance and Invitation Commission Health Commission Institutional Commission Intelligence Commission Leadership Office Mining Commission Political Office (formerly Commission for Political Affairs)
+ Current membership Name Portfolio Position(s) held in interim governmentHibatullah AkhundzadaSupreme Leader Hasan Akhund Member of the Leadership Council Prime Minister (2021–present) Sirajuddin Haqqani First Deputy Leader Interior Minister Mullah Yaqoob Second Deputy Leader Head of the Commission for Military Affairs Defense Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar Third Deputy Leader Head of the Economic Commission First Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi Member of the Leadership Council Former Deputy Head of the Political Office Second Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Kabir Head of the Commission for Preaching and Guidance, Recruitment and Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice Third Deputy Prime Minister (2021–2025) Prime Minister pro tempore (May–July 2023) Abdul Hakim Haqqani Chief Justice Justice Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi Head of the Leadership Office Former Head of the Commission for Cultural Affairs Foreign Minister Abdul Manan Omari Member of the Leadership Council Former Head of the Commission for Preaching and Guidance, Recruitment and Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice Former Head of the Commission for Prevention of Civilian Casualties and Complaints Public Works Minister Noor Mohammad Saqib Member of the Leadership Council Former Head of the Commission for Preaching and Guidance, Recruitment and Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice Hajj and Religious Affairs Minister Din Mohammad Hanif Head of the Central Asia Department of the Political Office Economy Minister Abdul Latif Mansour Member of the Leadership Council Former Head of the Commission for Agriculture, Livestock, Ushr, and Zakat Energy and Water Minister Noorullah Noori Member of the Leadership Council Former member of the Political Office Borders and Tribal Affairs Minister Gul Agha Ishakzai Former Head of the Commission for Financial Affairs Finance Minister Abdul Haq Wasiq Member of the Leadership Council Director of Intelligence Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai Member of the Leadership Council Deputy Head of the Political Office Deputy Foreign Minister Ibrahim Sadr Member of the Leadership Council Interior Minister (2021) Deputy Interior Minister (2021–present) Abdul Qayyum Zakir Member of the Leadership Council Defense Minister (2021) Deputy Defense Minister (2021–present) Mohammad Fazl Member of the Leadership Council Member of the Political Office Deputy Defense Minister (2021) Qasim Rasikh Member of the Leadership Council Former Head of the Guidance and Invitation Commission First Deputy Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Mullah Shirin Akhund Member of the Leadership Council Former Deputy Head of the Commission for Military Affairs for the Western Zone Former Deputy Head of the Commission of Military Affairs for the Northeastern Zone Governor of Kabul (2021) Taj Mir Jawad Member of the Leadership Council Deputy Director of Intelligence Muhammad Zahid Ahmadzai Member of the Leadership Council former First Secretary to Taliban Embassy of Pakistan from 1996 to 2001 Sayyid Abdul Rahman Member of the Leadership Council – Sheikh Sharif Member of the Leadership Council – Faizullah Noorzai Akhtar Mohammed Mira Khan Member of the Leadership Council – Hafiz Abdul Majeed Member of the Leadership Council –
Quetta Shura (2002–2020) After the United States invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and the end of the Taliban government, ten men who had held positions in the government formed a Council of Leaders (Rahbari Shura) in May 2002. They consisted of eight veteran high ranking (i.e. elite) commanders originally from the southern area of Afghanistan, another hailing from Paktika, and another from Paktia. The Shura was subsequently increased in number, during March 2003, to 33 individuals. During October 2006, the Consultative Council (majlis al-shura) was formed, comprising a number of advisors to 13 core members.
Directing the insurgency in Afghanistan
According to retired General of the United States Army Stanley A. McChrystal, the Quetta Shura was directing the Afghani Taliban insurgency. In a report to President Obama in 2009, he stated that it posed the greatest threat to his troops. He said, "Afghanistan's insurgency is clearly supported from Pakistan. The Quetta Shura conducts a formal campaign review each winter, after which Omar announces his guidance and intent for the following year." Americans wanted to extend the drone strikes into Balochistan.Strategic Balochistan becomes a target in war against Taliban, The Guardian, 2009-12-21
In September 2009 US ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson said, "In the past, we focussed on Al-Qaeda because they were a threat to us. The Quetta Shura mattered less to us because we had no troops in the region, now our troops are there on the other side of the border, and the Quetta Shura is high on Washington's list."Patterson says Quetta Shura high on US list , Dawn, 2009-09-30
Funding from Persian Gulf region Taliban leaders raised money from wealthy donors from Arab states around the Persian gulf and from direct operations in Southern Afghanistan. According to Lieutenant General David Barno, the retired former commander of American forces in Afghanistan "The Quetta Shura is extremely important, they are the intellectual and ideological underpinnings of the Taliban insurgency."
Support from Pakistani intelligence American officials believed that the Quetta Shura gets support from parts of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), as some of its senior officials believe that leaders such as Mullah Omar would have been valuable assets if the Taliban were to regain power after a withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.Taliban Widen Afghan Attacks From Base in Pakistan, The New York Times, 2009-09-24 According to Abdul Rahim Mandokhel, a Pakistani senator from Zhob in northern Balochistan. "The whole war in Afghanistan is being launched from here," he said. He accused Pakistan's intelligence agencies of carrying out a "double" policy. "One thing is clear: the area is being used for cross-border offences," he said.
On 13 June 2010, a report by the London School of Economics (LSE) claimed to provide the most concrete evidence yet that the ISI is providing funding, training and sanctuary to the Taliban insurgency on a scale much larger than previously thought. The report's author Matt Waldman spoke to nine Taliban field commanders in Afghanistan and concluded that Pakistan's relationship with the insurgents ran far deeper than previously realized. Some of those interviewed suggested that the organization even attended meetings of the Taliban's supreme council, the Quetta Shura. A spokesman for the Pakistani military dismissed the report, describing it as "malicious".
Pakistani relationship
Statement American and western officials had long complained that Pakistan had ignored the presence of senior Taliban leadership in Quetta and done little to address this situation. Pakistani authorities had denied the existence of such an organization in Pakistan.The Afghan-Pakistan militant nexus, BBC, 2009-12-01 However, statements by US officials had led to fears that US would launch drone strikes on Quetta.Fear grows of US strikes in Balochistan , Dawn, 2009-10-12 Jehan Zeb Jamaldini, senior vice president of Balochistan National Party was quoted as saying that Omar and his 2nd and 3rd tier leadership were around Quetta and would be targeted by the US. On 30 July 2021 the former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan rejected the allegations of the Quetta Shura being in Pakistan. He said these are just baseless allegations by Pakistan's enemies. He added that Pakistan is not spokesperson for Taliban and if anyone has any queries, then they can ask the Taliban directly.
Acknowledgement
In December 2009 Pakistani government for the first time acknowledged the existence of Quetta Shura. The Defence minister of Pakistan, Ahmad Mukhtar acknowledged the presence of Quetta Shura but stated that security forces had damaged it to such an extent that it no longer posed a threat.Quetta shura no longer poses threat: Ahmad Mukhtar , Dawn, 2009-12-11
On 23 November 2012, when Pakistan released nine senior Taliban leaders, commentator Ali K. Chishti described a statement from the Pakistani government as its first acknowledgment of the existence of the Quetta Shura.
Arrests In February 2010, in a possible change in Pakistani policy, several members of the Quetta Shura were detained at various locations in Pakistan.