(AGENPARL) - Roma, 30 Luglio 2022 - (AGENPARL) – sab 30 luglio 2022 [ISW Logo]
Taliban Supreme Leader Uses Gathering of Religious Leaders to Consolidate Power
By Peter Mills
Co-produced by the Institute for the Study of War and the Critical Threats Project
Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada leveraged a recent gathering of Taliban-aligned religious leaders to consolidate power and advance efforts to implement a hardline governance program. Akhundzada is taking on a more proactive role as the Taliban navigates internal tensions and faces continued attacks from the Islamic State’s Khorasan Province (IS-KP).
The Taliban gathered more than 3,500 people from across Afghanistan for an “Assembly of Ulema [Religious Scholars]” from 29 June to 2 July. The attendees were primarily religious leaders affiliated with the Taliban movement, indicating that the gathering intended to shore up support for the Taliban instead of broadening its base of support. Each Afghan district sent two religious scholars and one local or tribal elder as representatives. Each province also sent two elders, a religious scholar from the provincial capital, and five representatives from the provincial Ulema Council. The Taliban pointedly did not describe this event as a loya jirga, or grand assembly, the traditional Afghan format for resolving issues of national importance, such as forming a new constitution. Tribal elders were represented at the ulema gathering but were not the primary or majority constituency as they would have been in a loya jirga. Akhundzada appears to be prioritizing support from the ulema at the expense of other stakeholders in Afghanistan, such as civil society groups or local leaders from minority groups.
[Click here to read the full report.](https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001k3iynzSKfKs87F82hKBjEh3QX0cndNbcdOz2RUaMa8n5sxlt3c-_rRtgTcQ4qO_H84_r1LGwB2BVPDioWYguXUVsdduzfgVqfuxvgUWAe5c4wWXb13Bx3WtA0pAeztP3v5IfRxR-fAZ1LHaEQJ2dcw==&c=YHN6o03IiFyQmxpcH-SaRUHlV9_PuDHOOWzmRvGz2xMGyPJcy88yWA==&ch=qfmnDcnNHg3cb98KIY55B9LgT42V4luvaJ-ztQ6Z3Nm9iRbjPIrIWQ==)
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