RASC News Agency: Five Taliban insiders have informed media outlets that Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s Interior Minister, recently confronted the group’s reclusive supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, during a high-stakes meeting in Kandahar. Haqqani sharply criticized the draconian leadership style and increasingly autocratic policies emanating from the Taliban’s central command, warning that continued marginalization of key figures could lead to a rift within the movement’s leadership. According to these sources, the meeting was facilitated last month through mediation efforts by Mullah Yaqoob, the Taliban’s Defense Minister, and Abdul Haq Wasiq, the head of the Taliban intelligence agency. During the encounter, Haqqani expressed growing alarm over the shrinking space for internal dissent and the regime’s hardline ideological course, which, he argued, is rapidly alienating the Afghanistani population and eroding the group’s already fragile legitimacy.
Haqqani reportedly took issue with the substantial transfer of powers within the Ministry of Interior to Sadr Ibrahim, a close confidant of Hibatullah. He is said to have described the move as a deliberate strategy to sideline dissenting voices within the administration. The sources further indicate that Haqqani reiterated a grave warning: if the status quo persists, a number of senior Taliban leaders may be forced to disassociate from the current leadership structure. In response, Akhundzada reportedly defended the internal reshuffle, claiming that both Sadr Ibrahim and Mohammad Nabi Omari were authorized to manage ministry affairs in Haqqani’s absence, downplaying concerns of deliberate centralization of power.
Following the tense exchange, Haqqani has yet to return to the Ministry of Interior fueling speculation of a widening rift. In an attempt to mend this growing schism, other sources have suggested that Hibatullah may be considering the dismissal of Acting Prime Minister Abdul Kabir or the appointment of a member of the Haqqani family to a senior position, possibly Minister of Refugees, in a bid to placate the powerful Haqqani faction. However, no definitive candidate has yet been identified.
Moreover, sources have confirmed that Hibatullah recently dispatched Mullah Shireen Akhund, the Taliban governor of Kandahar, to the United Arab Emirates to initiate a reconciliation dialogue with Haqqani. The meeting reportedly occurred in a neutral setting and, while cordial, ended inconclusively. Haqqani is said to have stated only that he was “on his way back to the country.” Despite efforts by Shireen to coax Haqqani into reaffirming loyalty to the current Taliban hierarchy and resuming his duties, no concrete agreement was reached.
