What is the secret to hiding the Taliban leader's face?
Source: adyannews.com
Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, the group has occasionally released audio recordings of Taliban leader Mullah Haibatullah speaking. A few days ago, his audio file was published. Speaking at a meeting of Taliban mullahs, he accused “non-believers” who are ill-wishers of the “Islamic system” and are trying to destroy it. He also stood by his earlier positions and argued that women's rights were fully respected under the shadow of the Taliban regime and that women in this country have never been as happy as they are today. He again spoke about the need to implement Sharia law based on the testimony of the Taliban and informed the people that in the future, Sharia rules and regulations such as flogging and stoning will be implemented publicly.
The question that has always been raised is why is the Taliban leader unwilling to show his face to the people and talk to them face to face, and so far he has only done so to make his voice heard by the people. Isn't it logical that a Taliban leader, to convey his message to the people and influence them, must come out from behind the veil and talk to them face to face and thus gain their trust and sympathy?
SECURITY ISSUES
The current Taliban leader was not a very powerful or important person in the Taliban leadership before he was appointed to lead the group, and he did not have a significant executive role in the group. It was said that the Taliban military commanders were inclined to choose him because they believed that with him becoming leader, their power and competence would not decrease and they would not lose the initiative. But Mullah Haibatullah gradually strengthened his power after taking over the leadership, and after the Taliban regained control in Afghanistan, he monopolized almost all decision-making processes.
The Taliban organization is structured in such a way that the leader of this group is at the top of the power pyramid and important decisions are not made without his permission. After conquering Afghanistan, he began to form an elite and large army to protect himself. These forces are not affiliated with the Taliban Ministry of Interior and Defense and are subject to direct orders only from Mullah Haibatullah. Now the most important person in the Taliban is Mullah Haibatullah, and leading elements like Sirajuddin Haqqani and Mullah Yaqub, known as his deputies in the Taliban organization, cannot challenge him.
According to Mullah Haibatullah's importance in the Taliban's leadership hierarchy, ensuring his security is one of the group's priorities. The services protecting the life of Mullah Haibatullah have not yet concluded that his life is not in danger and that he can appear in public and publish his photos and videos. Meanwhile, Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is still wanted by the United States, decided to publish photographs and videos and reveal his identity to everyone.
The US is currently in a state of reconciliation with the Taliban and is sending between $40 million and $80 million in cash to Afghanistan each week, helping the Taliban administration's economic stability. In this sense, there is no danger to the Taliban leaders from the United States.
However, the Taliban's internal divisions cannot be ignored. During the election of Mullah Akhtar Mansour as Mullah Umar's successor, Mansour's Taliban opponents claimed that Mullah Umar had been poisoned by him. Even if this claim is false, it still makes it clear that there is no atmosphere of complete trust between the various factions of the Taliban.
The Taliban is made up of various factions and groups, and they currently believe that the Taliban organization depends on the presence of a leader, if the leader's position is shaken, all elements of this organization will be shaken, and everyone will suffer. Despite this, there is a possibility that tensions and conflicts will lead to confrontation, as happened during the election of Mullah Akhtar Mansoor.
Considering these issues, and the fact that Mullah Haibatullah is under strict security, it's difficult for the Taliban leaders in Kabul to reach him, he is not ready to show his face to everyone, he has created special forces for his protection, and this may be due to his mistrust of other Taliban groups.
The presence of ISIS-Khorasan in Afghanistan is one of the Taliban's main problems. In several cases, this group managed to eliminate prominent mullahs and high-ranking Taliban officials. Although ISIS-Khorasan's activities have weakened, several recent operations the group has carried out in Iran and Pakistan make it clear that the group remains dangerous. If a Taliban leader is willing to show his face, ISIS elements can easily identify him. For people who feel their lives are in danger, revealing their faces can be dangerous.
IMPROVING CHARISMA
Mullah Haibatullah’s disguise may be a skillful game with the psyche of the masses. For a person who appears in a crowd, in addition to the fact that his life may be in danger, his charisma also decreases. Ordinary people resort to thinking about something or someone that exists but is invisible. With this method, people can be easily controlled, scared, or given hope.
History books say that Hassan Sabah has only climbed to the roof of a house twice since he entered Alamut Castle and stayed there for thirty years. It turns out that he was good at measuring people's pulses and correctly knew their psyche.
By hiding the face of their leader, the Taliban also intends to increase his importance and sympathy in the hearts. Mullah Omar, the founder of the Taliban, never leaked his photos and videos, and only occasionally his voice was heard. From the rare interviews he left, it is clear that he was a poorly educated man and did not understand world politics. If such a person were to appear in a crowd, he would lose the greatness he had and his charisma would be lost.
Mullah Haibatullah's attempt to hide his identity and stay away from the public for the first time led some analysts to speculate that there is no such person named Haibatullah. But gradually the weakness of this statement became clear, because, for the past two and a half years, Haibatullah met every day at his residence with hundreds of people from all over Afghanistan, listened to their words, and conveyed his messages to them.
There is evidence that Mullah Haibatullah exists, but he is under strict protection and does not want to make his photos and videos public. From the published audio files of his speeches it is clear that he is a traditional mullah, considers himself a spokesman for religious messages, often quotes verses, hadiths, and sayings of great people, and tries to give a religious coloring to every word and opinion that he expresses. His analysis of the situation is similar to that of the man who led the great war to victory, and his tone is sarcastic and aggressive towards the United States and Europe.
He does not tolerate criticism of the Taliban and asks his subordinates not to allow people to criticize, because he believes that public criticism of the Taliban leads to a weakening of the “Islamic system.” Criticism should be personal and private, and nothing more.
