12 Facts About Mullah Yaqoob

Mullah Yaqoob has been the Taliban's military chief since 2020.

Mullah Yaqoob is an ethnic Pashtun of the Tumzi clan of the Hotak tribe, which is part of the larger Ghilji branch.

Mullah Yaqoob is the eldest son of the late Taliban founder Mullah Omar.

Mullah Yaqoob received his religious education in various seminaries in Karachi, Pakistan.

In 2016, Mullah Yaqoob was assigned by the Taliban to be in charge of the military commission in 15 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, a deputy to Mansour and leader of the Haqqani network, retained his position as Taliban deputy leader to Akhundzada, and Mullah Yaqoob was appointed the second deputy to the Taliban chief.

Mullah Yaqoob is the acting defense minister of Afghanistan in the Caretaker Cabinet of the Islamic Emirate, appointed on 7 September 2021.

In December 2022, Mullah Yaqoob met with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi.

On 4 March 2024, Mullah Yaqoob attended the DIMIDEX 2024 exhibition in Qatar, where various international companies displayed land, air and naval military equipment and vehicles such as the LY-70 air defense missile system, ZTD-05 assault vehicle, HJ-12 anti-tank missile and more to the Taliban.

Mohammed Mullah Yaqoob supported a negotiated settlement to the War in Afghanistan.

An avid supporter of former leader of the Taliban Akhtar Mansour, Mullah Yaqoob is pro-Saudi, has a reputation as a peace-advocating moderate, and is believed to have ties with the former government of Afghanistan.

Mullah Yaqoob believes that the enforcement of Sharia should co-exist with basic international norms.