Afghan Taliban leadership has detained one of its founding members, Mullah Mutasim Agha Jan, in a move that reveals deepening divisions within the organization’s ranks.
A spokesperson from Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry told The Media Line that Agha Jan was taken into custody in Kandahar by a specialized intelligence team tasked with protecting Supreme Leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada. The ministry official indicated the detention was authorized directly by the supreme leader.
Agha Jan held significant positions within the Taliban, including serving as the group’s finance minister during their initial rule before the September 11 attacks. He maintained a close relationship with the late Mullah Mohammad Omar, who founded the Taliban movement, and played an important role in the Quetta Shura throughout the American-led military campaign in Afghanistan.
The Interior Ministry source explained that Agha Jan’s detention resulted from his attempts to create a collaborative council of religious leaders from both Afghanistan and Pakistan designed to promote enduring peace between the nations. This initiative was seen as contradicting the supreme leader’s approach. Additionally, he had been urging Taliban leadership to take firm measures against the prohibited Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), whose commanders are reportedly based in Afghanistan under Taliban protection.
The official also revealed that Agha Jan had openly criticized what he called the Taliban’s “hostage diplomacy” strategy, which allegedly involves holding foreign citizens, especially Europeans and Americans, to gain political leverage and financial benefits.
Taliban officials have not released any public comments regarding the detention, and analysts interpret this silence as evidence that the Kandahar-based leadership continues to resist taking measures against TTP commanders.
Former Afghan security official Najib Mohmand explained to The Media Line that “Agha Jan’s detention highlights growing policy divisions within Taliban factions, particularly the influential Kandahar circle’s reluctance to confront the TTP.”
“This arrest indicates that the Kandahar group does not want to take action against TTP elements,” Mohmand said.
Mohmand also alleged that this faction maintains strong connections with al-Qaida leadership, who are supposedly living in Kandahar’s secure zone under the protection of the supreme leader’s elite 313 Al Badri unit.
This situation mirrors another recent case involving Abbas Stanikzai, a high-ranking Taliban official who reportedly left Afghanistan to escape arrest after challenging the supreme leader’s position on female education.
The detention of Agha Jan underscores the expanding philosophical and strategic disagreements within the Taliban organization as it continues to navigate internal unity, regional diplomacy, and governing responsibilities more than three years since reclaiming power.
