He remained "incognito" for years..Who is Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman?

For about 10 years, journalists have been relaying the official positions of the Taliban movement about its spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, and only hearing his voice over the phone, without anyone ever knowing what he looks like or recognizing his features.

On the evening of Sunday, August 15, 2021, the Taliban entered the Afghan capital, Kabul, for Zabihullah Mujahid to hold only two days later the movement's first press conference, overlooking everyone in its full form (audio and image) so that journalists asked: Is it the same voice that they have always heard for years through the phone?

Shadow's voice

Abdullah Mujahid, known as Zabihullah Mujahid, belongs to the ethnic Pashtuns (the Afghan population). He is the official spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. He was fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan before he was appointed as the official spokesman.

- Under the Taliban government (1996-2001), he worked in the team that ran the Ministry of Culture and Information.

Mujahid often came out to comment mainly on Taliban activities in eastern, northern and central Afghanistan, while the other speaker, Qari Yusuf Ahmadi, focused on the western and southern regions.

January 2007: Mujahid was appointed as the official spokesman for the Taliban after the arrest of the movement's spokesman, Muhammad Hanif.

Mujahid was in regular contact with journalists, speaking on behalf of the Taliban via mobile phone calls, text messages, emails, Twitter, and posts on the movement's websites.

Mujahid is fluent in both Pashto and Persian, and some journalists reported that they recognize his voice and that they have been communicating with the same person for a few years.

Mujahid described himself in a series of mobile phone interviews as a middle-aged man living in Afghanistan, married with several children.

- Because of the security threats, Mujahid was constantly on the move and did not stay in one place.

- He said he holds a master's degree in religious studies, but he refused to name the country in which he studied for security reasons.

"CNN Interview"

In early 2009, CNN correspondent Nick Robertson interviewed a man claiming to be a Mujahid with his back toward the television camera. Robertson described the man as close to 30 years old, bearded, and just over 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall. .

- After the interview was broadcast in May 2009, Zabihullah Mujahid, whom the journalists were talking to on the mobile phone, said that the interviewee was a fraud.

According to press analysis, the man interviewed by CNN was one of the few individuals to use the character, but the man disowned him because his bosses weren't happy with the interview.

Most of the speculations indicate that Zabihullah Mujahid - before his recent public appearance - could not have been a single person, but rather a nickname for a group of people, as no single person can receive such a large number of calls from the media.

motion messages

As a spokesman for the Taliban, Mujahid has been relaying the movement's messages to local and international media. He is also responsible for confirming or denying its involvement in attacks across Afghanistan. He also released propaganda videos on his Twitter account showing the Taliban's achievements throughout the conflict.

April 21, 2017: Mujahid announced the movement's responsibility for an attack on a military base that killed more than 140 soldiers.

January 21, 2019: Mujahid claimed the Taliban was responsible for an attack on the National Directorate of Security training center that killed more than 100 security personnel.

November 29, 2020: Mujahid claimed responsibility for an attack on an army base in Afghanistan that killed 30 security personnel.

- July 17, 2021: Mujahid apologized for the killing of Reuters photojournalist, Danish Siddiqui, who was killed in a clash between Afghan forces and the Taliban, saying the Taliban did not know how Siddiqui died, and asked journalists to inform the Taliban before entering the war zone so that the group could From "taking care of the specified person".

August 17, 2021: Mujahid revealed himself to the public at a press conference in the capital, Kabul, and answered questions from journalists and local and international media.