RASC News Agency: The intensifying power struggle between Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada’s faction and the Haqqani Network has led to a significant shake-up in Taliban-controlled institutions, with an unqualified madrasa student now installed as the head of the Department of Education in Panjshir province. A senior official from Panjshir’s education department, speaking to RASC News on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the Taliban’s Ministry of Education, acting on direct orders from Mullah Hibatullah, has appointed Mawlawi Mahmood, a former student of a jihadi Madrasa in Helmand, as the new provincial education chief.
“Mawlawi Mahmood was merely a student at a radical madrasa until recently. The Taliban first promoted him to lead that institution, and now, in a brazen move reflecting their internal rivalries, he has been appointed as the head of Panjshir’s education department,” the source revealed. The appointment, which took effect on Tuesday, February 11, comes after Mufti Habibullah Nouri Qatada, the previous education chief who was aligned with the Haqqani Network was abruptly removed and replaced by Hibatullah’s loyalists. Further reports suggest that three additional provincial department heads in Panjshir, all of whom were associated with the Haqqani Network, have also been dismissed by Mullah Hibatullah’s faction in a coordinated political purge.
Internal divisions within the Taliban have escalated sharply in recent weeks, with Hibatullah ousting dozens of senior officials linked to the Haqqani Network, tightening his grip over the group’s fractured leadership. As Taliban infighting intensifies, an increasing number of armed Taliban fighters and commanders many with no administrative or educational experience are being installed in key governmental roles, particularly in the education and higher learning sectors, which were previously dominated by Haqqani loyalists. This trend has been especially evident in Kabul, Parwan, and Panjshir provinces.
In yet another sweeping directive issued today, Mullah Hibatullah continued his relentless reshuffling of Taliban leadership, removing several high-ranking officials and replacing them with his own hardline supporters, further consolidating his authoritarian rule within the group.
