The Institute for the Study of War, in its new research report, documented numerous instances where Taliban members have defied orders from Hibatullah Akhundzada.
The report highlights that Taliban members have breached their leader's decrees on various issues, including the prohibition of polygamy, nepotism, and extrajudicial killings.
Published on Friday, the new research details the Taliban's governance in Afghanistan, revealing that there is a divergence of opinions among the Taliban leader and senior officials on cultural and social policies.
A significant disagreement is about the ban on girls' education, with members of the Taliban’s cabinet publicly opposing the group's leadership decisions multiple times.
Mullah Yaqoob, Sirajuddin Haqqani, and Abbas Stanikzai are among the officials who have publicly criticised Hibatullah Akhundzada's policies.
The Institute for the Study of War report also mentions that Taliban officials have secretly sent their daughters to schools, blatantly ignoring Akhundzada's orders.
According to the report, Akhundzada has issued several decrees declaring polygamy as "unnecessary and wasteful," and prohibited it. Nonetheless, many Taliban commanders have continued to engage in multiple marriages despite Akhundzada's orders.
Furthermore, in direct violation of the group leader's promise of a general amnesty, Taliban members have widely continued extrajudicial killings of former Afghan government employees.
Additionally, the report states that Taliban officials have appointed relatives and associates to governmental positions, disregarding Akhundzada's directives against nepotism and corruption.
