Hammad Kahlun
International News
Correspondent
Kandahar/Kabul High-level sources in Kandahar and Kabul reveal that Taliban supreme leader Sheikh Hibatullah Akhundzada was furious after
learning that his order to shut down Afghanistan’s fiber optic internet system had been reversed.
According to individuals familiar with the matter, the reclusive leader was “shocked and deeply distressed” by the decision.
During a meeting with close aides in Kandahar on Sunday, Sheikh Hibatullah reportedly declared:
“Restoring the fiber optics is like holding the funeral of my Islamic Sharia system.”
Sources said he posed a pointed question to senior figures, including Mawlavi Zafrani and his advisor Mufti Abdul Hakim
a Darul Uloom Karachi graduate and close disciple of Mufti Abdul Rahim asking whether “any difference remains between the Western Republic and the Islamic Emirate.”
Meanwhile in Kabul, Taliban ministers and leaders who had quietly lobbied for the reversal of the internet shutdown
are said to be engaged in cautious discussions, aware of the supreme leader’s anger and the potential rift it could create within the movement’s leadership.
Analysts believe the dispute reflects growing tensions between the Taliban’s Kandahar-based hardline leadership
and Kabul-based administrators, who face increasing pressure to keep Afghanistan connected to the outside world.
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