Suhail Shaheen
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Shaheen in 2019
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| Head of the Political Office | |
| Assumed office 23 February 2022[1] | |
| Supreme Leader | Hibatullah Akhundzada |
| Preceded by | Abdul Ghani Baradar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Muhammad Suhail Shaheen Paktia Province, Afghanistan |
| Alma mater | International Islamic University, Islamabad |
| Political affiliation | Taliban |
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Muhammad Suhail Shaheen (Pashto/Dari: محمد سهیل شاهین, Pashto pronunciation: [mʊˈhamad sʊˈhel ʃaˈhin], Dari pronunciation: [mʊˈhammad sʊˈheːl ʃaˈhiːn]) is a Taliban member who is currently the head of the Political Office in Doha.[1] He edited the English-language, state-owned Afghan newspaper The Kabul Times during the first Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001), before being appointed to Afghanistan's Embassy in Pakistan as a deputy ambassador.[2]
The Taliban-led government appointed him as the Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations in September 2021, but the UN rejected his appointment to the post.
Suhail was born in the Paktia ProvinceofAfghanistan.[2] He was educated in Pakistan, and he is known to be a prolific writer and fluent speaker of English and Urdu in addition to his native Pashto.[3] Suhail studied at the International Islamic University Islamabad[4] and Kabul University.[3]
During the period of the Taliban's original Islamic Emirate (1996–2001), Shaheen served as Afghanistan's Deputy Ambassador at the Afghan Embassy in Pakistan.[3] During the later phase of the Taliban's insurgency (2013–2021), he served as one of the Taliban's official spokesmen at their political office in Doha, where he gave many interviews to international media channels.[5]
On 20 September 2021, the Taliban-led government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan nominated him to become Afghanistan's official envoy to the United Nations. Shaheen however would be unable to take over the post unless the United Nations Credentials Committee accepts Shaheen's appointment.[6] The UN has rejected recognizing Shaheen as the official Afghan representative and instead recognizes Muhammad Wali Naeemi, the ambassador of the now-ousted government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.[7]
In October 2021, Shaheen rejected American help in fighting the Islamic State – Khorasan Province, saying, "We are able to tackle Daesh independently."[8]
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