Mullah Mohammad Omar Jan Akhundzada, a senior advisor to Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada and head of a Taliban “jihadi” school in Kandahar, was assassinated by unknown assailants in Quetta on Thursday.
He was leading evening prayers at a mosque when assailants entered and fatally shot him before escaping, according to local reports. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, confirmed the killing of Mohammad Omar Jan Akhundzada and expressed condolences for his death in a social media post on Friday.
“We are saddened to learn that the country’s leading religious scholar has been martyred,” Mujahid wrote. “We condemn the killings of religious scholars as a heinous crime by enemies of Islam,” he added, without providing further details.
Akhundzada was appointed as a special advisor to Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada in March 2022. He wielded influence among religious scholars in Kandahar and was part of the Taliban leader’s inner circle.