KABUL -- In the 29 months since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the militant group's leader, has neither been photographed in public nor delivered a live video speech. Instead, he communicates through written media statements or the occasional audio message.
The world only knows what he looks like from one photo taken years ago for his Afghan identity card -- well before he was appointed supreme leader, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Nikkei in an interview.