Taliban supreme leader attends Afghan grand assembly

In a rare appearance, the Taliban supreme leader broke his absence from public events in Afghanistan by attending a meeting of religious figures in the capital.

Hibatullah Akhundzada, who has not been publicly photographed since the Taliban came to power last August, “entered the meeting hall”, Afghan government deputy spokesman Bilal Karimi said in a tweet.

An enlarged council is meeting in Kabul with thousands of religious scholars and tribal elders who have come from all over Afghanistan to legislate the Taliban regime.

The authorities revealed only brief details about the Taliban-led gathering, which was dedicated exclusively to men.

He described the meeting as a “Jirga”, an old consultative and traditional council of notables in Afghanistan that settles disputes through consensus, AFP reported.

The media were not allowed to attend, but some of the speeches broadcast by state radio, mostly calling for “unity” behind the regime.

The event comes a week after a massive earthquake hit south-eastern Afghanistan, killing more than 1,000 people and displacing tens of thousands.

Akhundzada usually stays away from public events and has only rarely attended for Eid al-Fitr last year. He made a brief speech from one of the front lines to worshippers in Kandahar without turning around to meet the crowd.

Media reports accompanying the event said Taliban officials prevented journalists from approaching him.