Mujahid: “Zabihullah Mujahid” Was a Shared Name Used by Several Taliban Spokespeople

DID Press: Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has said that the use of the name “Zabihullah Mujahid” by several individuals during the previous Afghan government was a security measure designed to prevent members of the group’s spokesperson network from being identified.

Mujahid said in a recent interview that he had also explained the use of the name by different individuals after he was arrested by the previous Afghan government. He recently revealed that his real name is Taher Shah Seddiqi.

According to him, during the Taliban’s years of activity, several people used the same name when communicating with the media and conveying the group’s messages. The arrangement was designed so that the identification or arrest of one person would not lead to the discovery of the identities of others operating under the same name.

Mujahid added that using a shared name made it difficult for forces of the previous government to distinguish between individuals and identify the locations where members of the network were operating.