Senior Taliban special advisor killed in Pakistan

Mullah Mohammad Omar Jan Akhundzada, Taliban Special Advisor to Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada and the head of a Taliban jihadist school in Kandahar Killed in Quetta City, Pakistan, on Thursday, April 18th.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, confirmed the killing of Mohammad Omar Jan Akhundzada, a member of the Taliban’s supervision department.

According to reports, Akhundzada had gone to a village in Qaetta, Pakistan, to visit his family during the Eid al-Fitr days when he was killed by unknown assailants.

Zabihullah Mujahid expressed condolences for Mohammad Omar Jan Akhundzada’s death in a note posted on his social media account on Friday, April 19^th.

The Taliban spokesperson and other officials of the group have not provided any explanation on how Mohammad Omar Jan Akhundzada was killed and by whom.

The Taliban has condemned the killing of Mohammad Omar Jan Akhundzada, calling his death a “great crime.”

Some Taliban members mourned Omar Jan Akhundzada’s killing, sharing his body photos on the X network without details. Photos showed no gunshot wounds to his head and face. No one has claimed responsibility yet. Akhundzada was appointed as special advisor to Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada in March 2022. He wielded influence among religious scholars in Kandahar and was part of the Taliban leader’s inner circle. Mullah Hibatullah consults trusted individuals in Kandahar on key matters, often bypassing the Kabul cabinet and Taliban ministries in decision-making.

So far, no individual or group has claimed responsibility for his killing.

The Afghan National Radio Television, under Taliban control, reported that Mr. Akhundzada was a member of the Taliban’s oversight department and a teacher at a jihadist school in Kandahar.

However, according to reports, Mohammad Omar Jan Akhundzada was an advisor to Hibtullah Akhundzada and he led a Taliban jihadist school in Kandahar.