Abdul Ghani Baradar

Abdul Ghani Baradar (born 29 September 1963) is an Afghan politician and religious leader who is the first deputy prime minister, alongside Abdul Salam Hanafi, of the Taliban led government of Afghanistan. A co-founder of the Taliban along with Mullah Omar, he was Omar's top deputy from 2002 to 2010, and since 2019 he has been the Taliban's fourth-in-command, as the third of Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada's three deputies.

He held senior positions in the Taliban during their first rule from 1996 to 2001. After the Taliban government fell to the US-led invasion in 2001, he rose to lead the organization's Quetta Shura in Pakistan, becoming the de facto leader of the Taliban. He was imprisoned by Pakistan in 2010, possibly because he had been discussing a peace deal with the Afghan government secretly, without the involvement of Pakistan. He was released in 2018 at the request of the United States and was subsequently appointed a deputy leader of the Taliban and head of their political office in Qatar. Following the Taliban victory in August 2021, he returned to Afghanistan and received his current government post.

Baradar is considered to be a moderate Taliban member. U.S. President Donald Trump co-signed the February 2020 Doha agreement with him that led to the full withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan. After the agreement was signed, the Taliban launched a military offensive against the Afghan government on 15 August 2021, while the U.S. withdrawal was still underway. On 15 September 2021, Baradar was listed on Time magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential People In 2021" for his role in the Taliban's victory.