Abdul Ghani Baradar
 Abdul Ghani Baradar    | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1968 Afghanistan |
| Founder of | Taliban |
Co-founder of the Taliban | |
Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund co-founded the Taliban in 1994, was arrested in Pakistan in 2010 in a joint operation with the United States, returned to Afghanistan from exile in Doha on 17 August 2021[1] and arrived in the country’s capital Kabul on 21 August 2021, where he is meeting with former government leaders, local militia commanders, policymakers and religious scholars preparing to form a new government after the US agreed to withdraw from Afghanistan.[2]
Doha Agreement
Abdul Ghani Baradar signed the Doha Agreement with the US in February 2020, in what the Trump administration hailed as a breakthrough towards peace but which now appears a mere staging post towards total Taliban victory.
The US and Taliban agreement not to fight each other was supposed to be followed by power-sharing talks between the Taliban and the Kabul government of Ashraf Ghani. Those talks stumbled along with little progress, and it is clear now that Baradar and the Taliban were playing for time, waiting for the Americans to leave and preparing a final offensive. Baradar’s life has taught him patience and confidence in ultimate victory.[3]
