Sources close to the Taliban said that Hibatullah Akhundzada and Sirajuddin Haqqani have traveled to Kajaki district in Helmand province.
According to them, the Taliban leader and the group’s interior minister laid the foundation stone of a grand mosque in Helmand.
Mohammad Jalal, a social media activist close to the Taliban, announced the visit in a post on X, which was later reshared by the Taliban police command spokesman in Kabul.
Moves such as mosque construction, however, are viewed by critics as tools for religious legitimization by the group, carried out amid a lack of response to crises such as poverty, severe restrictions on women’s and girls’ education, and broader social challenges. Critics say these actions reflect a continuation of governance based on “symbolism and social control.”
They add that such efforts are aimed at diverting public attention from structural failures and reinforcing the status quo.
Sirajuddin Haqqani is based in Kabul and rarely travels to other provinces, while Hibatullah typically does not leave Kandahar.
Reports point to deep divisions between the two figures.
