The leader of the Taliban makes a very rare public appearance in Afghanistan for the end of Ramadan

April 10 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The leader of the Taliban, Mullah Hebatullah Ajundzada, made a very rare public appearance this Wednesday to lead the Eid al Fitr prayers, which marks the end of the month of Ramadan, at a mosque in the province of Kandahar, located in southern Afghanistan.

“Today, (the mosque of) Edigah in Kandahar hosted prayers for Eid al Adha that were attended by thousands of citizens and that were led by the 'prince of believers',” said the spokesperson for the Taliban, Zabihulá Mujahid, in a message on his account on the social network X.

The Taliban have also published a message recorded by Ajundzada, who has made very few public appearances since becoming leader of the Taliban in 2016, in which he reiterates that the Afghan authorities will continue to apply their strict interpretation of 'sharia'.

“If you can follow a false religion, why can't I follow my true religion?” he asked, before insisting that the “problems” with the authorities imposed by the fundamentalist group will always be resolved in line with the Islam, as reported by the Afghan television network Tolo TV.

However, Ajundzada has not made any mention of the possible reopening of classes for students in grades above secondary school, weeks after a third school year began with girls out of the classrooms, despite numerous criticisms from the international community. .

The Taliban imposed shortly after their return to power in August 2021 – after the flight from the capital, Kabul, of the then president, Ashraf Ghani, in the midst of the withdrawal of international troops – a battery of restrictions on public life, with the main focus on women and girls, including the prohibition of their schooling.