Mohammad Rabbani

Mohammad Rabbani

Mullah Mohammad Rabbani Akhund (1955–15 April 2001) was one of the main founders of the Taliban movement. He was second in power only to the supreme leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, in the Taliban hierarchy.

When the Soviet Union chose to withdraw from Afghanistan in 1989, and after many more years of insurgenence and civil war, he led the Taliban guerrillas in the final assault against the capital, Kabul.

He served as prime minister of Afghanistan and head of the advisory council. There were also rumors that Mullah Rabbani and the head of the Taliban movement had serious political differences. While Rabbani and the ruling council constituted the public face of Afghanistan, the important decisions were made by Mullah Mohammed Omar, who resided in the southern city of Kandahar.

He was married on 17 October 1984 in Kandahar to a Singaporean engineer named Lauren Marissa Norton (born 31 January 1958 in Singapore), who remained "Lauren Rabbani"/"Madame Mohammad Rabbani". Mohammad had only two sons; Hamid Mohammad Rabbani (born 17 May 1986 in Kabul) and Tariq Mohammad Rabbani (born 31 May 1990 in Kabul).