Kabul, Afghanistan – Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada has appointed Mohammad Fazil Mazloum, the first deputy defense minister, as the new minister of transportation and civil aviation. This move comes as part of a cabinet reshuffle with the previous minister, Mullah Hamidullah Akhundzada.
Exchange of high-ranking positions
According to Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, Mullah Hamidullah Akhundzada (who was the director of the Afghan company Ariana in the 1990s) has been appointed First Deputy Minister of Defense. This position was previously held by Mazloum before his recent appointment.
From Guantanamo to the pinnacle of power
Mohammad Fazel Mazloum (born in 1967 in Uruzgan province) is one of the most influential and controversial figures within the Taliban. A close confidant of Mullah Omar, he played a pivotal role in consolidating control over the northern provinces during the movement’s first term (1996-2001). Human rights activists link him to massacres in Mazar-i-Sharif in the late 1990s. He was captured in 2001 by General Abdul Rashid Dostum’s militia and spent 12 years at Guantanamo Bay (2002-2014) as a “high-risk” detainee. He was released in 2014 as part of the “Taliban Quintet” prisoner exchange in Qatar, in exchange for U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl.
Designation implications
The appointment of Mazloum, who is on the UN Security Council sanctions list, as Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation reflects the Kandahar leadership’s determination to empower its first generation of field commanders in vital state institutions. However, international pressure and restrictions on their movements persist. Observers believe that transferring a figure with a solid military background like Mazloum to the aviation sector may indicate the movement’s desire to tighten control or reorganize this strategic sector, which serves as Afghanistan’s gateway to the outside world.
