at the moment, that is why the president and mullah abdul ghani baradarare president and mullah abdul ghani baradarknow what agreements they are having and we should find out next week. the former british prime minister tony blair, who sent troops in 20 years ago, has launched a scathing attack on the us decision to pull out of afghanistan. in an article on his own website, mr blair said the uk has a "moral obligation" to stay until "all those who need to be, are evacuated." here's our political correspondent, chris mason. he says that it is tragic and unnecessary and dangerous what is happening. he says there isn't moral obligation for the uk to stay as long as necessary to get everyone out who has a right to come to the uk because they worked with british authors. it is making a bigger argument here. —— british forces. he said in a 2007 article that it is a fight against radical islam, a political ideology that pivots the religion and the taliban are symptomatic of that and he said that the west has to show commitment and if that's a long—term commitment, so be it, he compares it to the long—term

the group's co—founder and political chief, mullah abdul ghani baradar, has arrived in kabul.xpected to form part of the new taliban—dominated government. he spent the last few years leading the taliban delegation at peace talks with the us in qatar. the taliban don't yet control the entire country. the panjshir valley, north of kabul, is once more a centre of resistance to their rule. anti—taliban forces claim to have retaken three districts in the north. back at the airport, time is running out for the evacuation. once it ends and the world's attention shifts elsewhere, many fear that life under the taliban is going to get a lot harder. frank gardner, bbc news. our correspondent, secunder kermani, is in kabul has been speaking to the afghans who hope to be evacuated. he says the situation at the airport still seems extremely tense. it is still very chaotic. i was speaking earlier on to one young afghan whose father had worked in the us embassy here for 20 years. they have been told to go to the airport, to be evacuated, tried for two days straight but were unable to get past

mullah abdul ghani baradar is expected to join talks on establishing a new government.ose not here, in hiding, worried for their lives. frankie mccamley, bbc news. 0ur security correspondent frank gardner is here. mullah abdul ghani baradar is in a two, lots of reassurances this is a new taliban and not the old one we all know. i new taliban and not the old one we all know. ~ ., new taliban and not the old one we all know. ~' ., ., all know. i think there are two questions _ all know. i think there are two questions standing _ all know. i think there are two questions standing back- all know. i think there are two questions standing back at - all know. i think there are two questions standing back at it, | questions standing back at it, floating to the surface. 0ne questions standing back at it, floating to the surface. one is that there are a number of really chilling, disturbing reports which the un secretary general mentioned about kidnappings or people being coerced, door—to—door hunting down of people from the former regime. the question is, all thosejust one offse

mullah abdul ghani baradar is expected to join talks on establishing a new government.ritain has evacuated just under 2,500 people, but time is running out as fears grow for those not here, in hiding, worried for their lives. frankie mccamley, bbc news. as you just heard — a key figure at the kabul talks is the taliban co—founder, mullah abdul ghani baradar, our security correspondent frank gardner told us more about him. this is somebody who co—founded the entire movement back in 1994, along with mullah omar, his more famous brother—in—law, reportedly. so mullah baradar, he was born in afghanistan in 1968 and he co—founded a movement of islamic scholars started in the madrasahs. so taliban literally means students, it's plural for students. and they took over southern afghanistan in the mid—90s. initially they were very popular because at the time the country had gone from civil war, it was racked with corruption, as it has been recently, actually, but also by a lot of infighting between warlords. and there was then five years of pretty unpopular brutal taliban repress

the group's co—founder and political chief, mullah abdul ghani baradar, has arrived in kabul.orm part of the new taliban—dominated government. he spent the last few years leading the taliban delegation at peace talks with the us in qatar. the taliban don't yet control the entire country. the panjshir valley, north of kabul, is once more a centre of resistance to their rule. anti—taliban forces claim to have retaken three districts in the north. back at the airport, time is running out for the evacuation. once it ends and the world's attention shifts elsewhere, many fear that life under the taliban is going to get a lot harder. frank gardner, bbc news. the foreign office says the uk has airlifted nearly 4,000 people out of afghanistan, since kabul fell last weekend. but others fearing for their lives, having worked with british forces, believe they should be airlifted out too. our correspondent, frankie mccamley, has been speaking to one man, whom we've chosen not to identify for his safety. this morning, 200 evacuees arrived at brize norton, following thousands of others, with

mullah abdul ghani baradar is expected to join talks on establishing a new government.n focuses on people trying to leave the country, concern grows for those who are not the, many living in fear, wondering what will happen next. frankie mccamley, bbc news. today one of the taliban's most prominent leaders, abdul ghani baradar, returned to afghanistan after years in exile. what do we know about him? well, he was one of the four men who founded the taliban back in 1994, and became a lynchpin of the insurgency, after the taliban were toppled by the us—led invasion in 2001. then, in 2010, he was captured in a joint us—pakistani raid. but he was released in 2013. afghan officials hoped he would encourage the taliban to engage in peace talks with them. fast forward seven years — and he signs a deal, not with the afghan government, but with the us trump administration. it culminates in the withdrawal of us troops. we know what happens next. the taliban quickly take control of afghanistan. and then, after years in exile, he's finally able to return to the country. 0ur security

here the leader mullah abdul ghani baradar sealing a deal with the u.s.ctory. but the movement has clearly signalled had it needs to govern rather than rule by force. the question is whether that is something the taliban can or even wants to do. sam kiley, cnn, london. >>> back here in the u.s., schools defying gop governors on masks now being punished for trying to keep kids safe. the florida state school board authorized legal steps against two counties for requiring people in their school districts to wear masks. >> it is unanimously a 4-0 vote. >> pressure hasn't phased the school board which voted to extend the school mask mandate for another eight weeks. and not permitting a parent opt out. broward county also returns today with a mask mandate. arizona increasing school funding but promised to withhold extra money from schools with mask mandates. all this back and forth over masking at a critical time here in the u.s., 88,000 americans are currently in the hospital. that is the highest number since early february and more than five times the level s

mullah abdul ghani baradar is expected to join talks on establishing a new government.in has evacuated just under 2,500 people, but time is running out as fears grow for those not here, in hiding, worried for their lives. this evening the shadow foreign secretary lisa nandy published a letter she's written to the foreign secretary — she's asking him to urgently step up the evacuation efforts from afghanistan — and says there are safety concerns when trying to leave the country. my office is in touch with hundreds of people at the moment, many of them filtered through labour mps but also coming directly to me through my inbox, through whatsapp, through friends in afghanistan. raising many of the issues that your report hasjust put out there. you know, the fact that people are being beaten, shot at, turned back at checkpoints. the fact that people are being asked to carry documentation that links them to the united kingdom in order to prove their eligibility but that is the documentation that makes them a target for the taliban who are checking those documents en route. t

mullah abdul ghani baradar is expected tojoin talks on establishing a new government. has evacuated just under 2,500 people, but time is running out as fears grow for those not here, in hiding, worried for their lives. let's speak to the shadow foreign secretary lisa nandy — who this evening has published a letter she's written to the foreign secretary — asking his to urgently step up the evacuation efforts from afghanistan. good to have you with us. what more specifically would you like to see the foreign secretary do? well, my office is in touch with hundreds of people at the moment many coming directly to me to my inbox and what's up and friends in afghanistan, raising many of the issues that your report is put out there. the fact that people are being beaten, shot at and it checkpoints people are being asked to carry documentation that links them to the united kingdom in order to prove their eligibility that is documentation that makes them a target for the child evaluate checking those documents. their makeshift camps that have sprung up by people are being beaten

the group's co—founder and head of its political wing, mullah abdul ghani baradar, is in kabulfor talkswhich are expected to include militant commanders, former government leaders and religious scholars. hurricane henri is making its way towards the us, prompting the authorities in new york to declare a state of emergency. it's expected to hit the country's northeastern coast later on sunday, and could be the first hurricane to reach new england in thirty years. now on bbc news: afghanistan — back to the future. this is precious. i love this sweet. and ijust ate half of it and kept another half because i thought i will never, ever have them again. for me, this is a diamond. reminds me of my childhood. and the golden time. i was so excited to discover these films. my family had many photographs, but we lost them when we fled the afghan wars as refugees. most afghans have no pictures of their past. nothing to show their grandchildren. it is a terrible gap in our lives. these films, kept safe for half a century, are the only ones i have ever seen that have survived the wars. they show my a

the taliban co-founder mullah abdul ghani baradar, who is expected to become afghanistan's next president, arrived in kandahar today. baradar was released from a pakistani prison at the request of the trump administration three years ago. he was deeply involved in the u.s.-taliban talks in doha. meanwhile, former afghan president hamid karzai held talks today with the head of the haqqani network, a powerful faction of the taliban. this all comes as the taliban moves to secure its control of afghanistan. on tuesday, the taliban held a news conference where they promised amnesty for former government officials and pledged to eradicate opium production. the taliban also made promises to protect some rights of journalists and women. >> government offices will be activated soon and all employees, including women, returned to work and work in areas permitted by sharia law. we and you see that in the field of medicine, education, police, and other sectors of society. we need women because it is a necessity of society. amy: despite the taliban's pledges, many women across afghanistan have not lef

the pakistan service arrested a man mullah abdul ghani baradar.e was a founding member of the taliban. he was a wide angle strategist and a day-to-day commander of taliban fighters. his leadership was so important to the taliban's success on the battlefield that the "times" said at the time of his arrest that him being captured could cripple the taliban's military operations. they did get him in 2010. of course, that was, you know, only about halfway through america's long war against the taliban and afghanistan but mullah baradar was put in a pakistani prison. it was a joint venture. they picked him up and that means ultimately he was locked up in pakistan essentially at the request of the u.s. government. the cia directly assisted in the raid in pakistan that put him behind bars. which is why ten years later, ten years after his imprisonment at the request of the u.s. government it really did take your breath away to see that very same guy, mullah abdul ghani baradar, co-founder of the taliban standing side by side, with american secretary of st

it comes as the taliban's political leader, mullah abdul ghani baradar, is reported to have flown in from qatar to the south—eastern city of kandahar, near the border with pakistan. on the ground the taliban gave a public declaration of a nationwide amnesty with a call for government workers to return to their jobs without fear. in other news, rescue work following the deadly earthquake which struck haiti on saturday has been hampered by heavy rains brought by tropical storm grace. more than 1,900 people are now known to have died in the seven point 2—magnitude quake. in the last few minutes, there's been more breaking news on afghanistan from the government here — the prime minister, borisjohnson, has spoken to the us president, joe biden, about the situation in afghanistan. also, the uk government hasjust announced further details of a bespoke resettlement scheme for afghan refugees. our political correspondent nick eardley joins me — first of all. so what details do we know about the promised new resettlement scheme for afghan refugees? that was promised by dominic raab, wasn't a?

the group's co—founder and head of its political wing, mullah abdul ghani baradar, is in kabulfor talkswhich are expected to include militant commanders, former government leaders and religious scholars. hurricane henri is making its way towards the us, prompting the authorities in new york to declare a state of emergency. it's expected to hit the country's northeastern coast later on sunday and could be the first hurricane to reach new england in 30 years. the government has announced plans to tighten rules on the importation of dogs to the uk, in response to a rise in puppy smuggling. the proposals include raising the minimum age for imported dogs from 15 weeks to 6 months, and banning heavily pregnant animals. lebu diseko has more. hundreds of puppies brought into the country illegally are intercepted each year. the numberfound not to have met the uk's pet import rules more than doubling between 2019 and 2020 alone. many have health problems and had not been checked by certified vets. an increase too in the number with docked tails and cropped ears, more than 600% in the last five ye

it comes as the taliban's political leader, mullah abdul ghani baradar, is reported to have flown intern city of kandahar, near the border with pakistan. 0n the ground the taliban gave a public declaration of a nationwide amnesty with a call for government workers to return to their jobs without fear. in other news, rescue work following the deadly earthquake which struck haiti on saturday has been hampered by heavy rains brought by tropical storm grace. more than 1,900 people are now known to have died in the seven point 2—magnitude quake.

mullah abdul ghani baradar is expected tojoin talks on establishing a new government.as evacuated just under 2,500 people, but time is running out as fears grow for those not here, in hiding, worried for their lives. today, one of the taliban's most prominent leaders, abdul ghani baradar, returned to afghanistan after years in exile. what do we know about him? (tx gfx)well, he was one of the four men who founded the taliban back in 1994, and became a lynchpin of the insurgency, after the taliban were toppled by the us—led invasion then, in 2010, he was captured in a joint us—pakistani raid. but he was released in 2018. it was hoped he would encourage the taliban to engage in peace talks with them. fast forward 2 years — and he signs a deal; not with the afghan government, but with the trump administration. it culminates in the withdrawal of us troops. we know what happens next. 0ur security correspondent frank gardner says there have been reports of taliban violence against afghan citizens there are a number of chilling and disturbing reports which the un secretary gen

the group's co—founder and head of its political wing, mullah abdul ghani baradar, is in kabulfor talksich are expected to include militant commanders, former government leaders and religious scholars. hurricane henri is making its way towards the us, prompting the authorities in new york to declare a state of emergency. it's expected to hit the country's northeastern coast later on sunday, and could be the first hurricane to reach new england in 30 years. now on bbc news... three engineers leading the field in clean energy solutions come together for a special event presented by kevin fong at the victoria and albert museum, london. hello, i'm kevin fong, and welcome to the engineers: clean energy. we are here at the victoria and albert museum in london with a socially distanced public audience, a virtual audience from around the globe, and three of the world's leading engineers. now, the climate catastrophe threatens all of us. but these engineers are at the forefront of providing our world with real solutions. applause. please welcome henry snaith. he's professor of physics at oxford,

the group's co—founder and head of its political wing, mullah abdul ghani baradar, is in kabulfor talkswhich are expected to include militant commanders, former government leaders and religious scholars. hurricane henri is making its way towards the us, prompting the authorities in new york to declare a state of emergency. it's expected to hit the country's northeastern coast later on sunday and could be the first hurricane to reach new england in 30 years. now on bbc news — the media show. hello. are you finally in a position to make some money out of social media? well, the big—name companies do very nicely, thank you, out of what you post on what you share, but have the tables turned in favour of the individual? can we all make cash with our latest musical composition or the recipe we lovingly demonstrate if we're a little bit smarter about it? well, websites like patreon offer fans the ability to pay their favourite artists and writers directly. tiktok and facebook have started offering cash to the most popular creators. so, is there money to be made in the so—called creative econom

the man considered to be the political leader of the taliban, mullah abdul ghani baradar, has arrivedbulfor talks on forming a government. it's another sign of the taliban tightening its grip on power in afghanistan, after its rapid takeover of the country. mullah baradar arrived in afghanistan earlier this week, after 20 years in exile. he travelled first to kandahar, which is seen as the spiritual home of the taliban. although baradar isn't the taliban's supreme leader, he is one of its most visible figures. last year, he became the first taliban leader to communicate directly with a us president after having a telephone conversation with donald trump. we'll get more on that in a moment, but first our correspondent secunder kermani has the latest from kabul. soldier shouting: get back! get back! panic and chaos close to kabul airport. british soldiers guarding a secure compound for those being evacuated. british passport holders in the crowd, desperately trying to get through. this is my british passport. like this uber driver from west london. he's got kids. we are waiting. how lon

the taliban's co—founder, and head of its political wing, mullah abdul ghani baradar, has arrived in joined other senior militants for talks to establish a new government. with the latest on the situation at kabul airport — here's our correspondent dan johnson. this is a sign that the situation outside kabul airport is deteriorating even further. it has been crowded, chaotic all week, really, but the scenes outside the gates today really have got even more grim and there are pictures on social media showing soldiers there actually dealing with bodies under sheets. so it looks like there has been some sort of crush and more people have lost their lives. we know that prior to today about 12 people had died either in or around the airport this week. it looks like that number is going to rise again today and that is why the us embassy is now saying that it citizens should stay away from the airport unless they have been specifically called forward by somebody from the us government. the taliban is essentially in charge of those streets outside the airport and fighters have been trying to

the taliban's co—founder and head of its political wing, mullah abdul ghani baradar, is in kabulfor talksrming a new afghan government. he's the most senior taliban leader now in afghanistan, and the man who signed the agreement with the united states that led to the american withdrawal. the taliban have promised an inclusive government for afghanistan. they say experts from the former government will be brought in for crisis management. other senior taliban leaders in the capital include khalil haqqani — one of america's most wanted terrorists — but also moderate figures such as the former president, hamid karzai. thousands of people are continuing their attempt to flee the country. our correspondent, danjohnson, is following developments from delhi. there is still chaos outside the airport, and no real solution to that, no clear way forward for how the foreign forces, the nations that are trying to get people out are going to overcome the crush, the crowds and the taliban checkpoints. and then we've got these talks happening now between the most senior leaders of the taliban and some ot

mullah abdul ghani baradar is expected to join talks on establishing a new government.tention focuses on people trying to leave the country, concern grows for those who are not the, many living in fear, wondering what will happen next. frankie mccamley, bbc news. meanwhile, there have been calls for the uk to lobby the us to extend its deadline at the end of august for withdrawing troops from afghanistan. the chair of the defence committee has told the bbc the window for evacuating people from the country was "closing quickly" unless us troops stayed at the airport in kabul. our political correspondent ione wellsjoins us. what is the worry? the main concern is that, at this _ what is the worry? the main concern is that, at this stage, _ what is the worry? the main concern is that, at this stage, august - what is the worry? the main concern is that, at this stage, august the - is that, at this stage, august the sist is that, at this stage, august the 31st is when president biden says he wants troops out of the country, and the us are not only securing the international a

while mullah mohammed omar died in 2013, his brother-in-law mullah abdul ghani baradar now appears setbecome afghanistan's next president. well, today, we are spending the hour with the pulitzer prize winning reporter spencer ackerman, author of the new book "reign of terror: how the 9/11 era destabilized america and produced trump." the book is based in part on his reporting from afghanistan, iraq, and guantanamo. spencer, it is great to have you back. congratulations on your book. we are talking to you in the midst of this chaos in kabul as thousands of afghans, americans, and other nationals are attempting to flee afghanistan. the taliban have taken over. we chose to begin 20 years ago -- i won't say the beginning because it goes far back from there -- but talk about this moment as the u.s. began bombing and occupying afghanistan, when the taliban basically said they would surrender. and also give osama bin laden over. the u.s. rejected, president bush rejected both. >> this was a central aspect of the war on terror at its inception and foreshadowing of what its implications would b

. >>> also tonight, the taliban releasing this video of their co-founder, mullah abdul ghani baradar, arriving in kandahar. it is the first time that he has set foot in afghanistan in 20 years. joining me now, two people who have done a lot of reporting on this taliban co-founder, jessica donati, author of "eagle down." and toby harndon is here as well. he is a former foreign correspondent for the daily telegraph and sunday times of london. good evening to both of you. thank you so much. jessica, i'm going to start with you. a few years ago, mullah baradar was in prison. tonight he is back on afghan soil and could be the next leader there. you point out that he owes his freedom to the u.s. so why did the trump administration help release him back in 2018? please give us some insight on this. >> absolutely and thanks for having me. so the trump administration back in 2018 was looking for an interlocutor for the taliban that would give them confidence to pull out. so they pushed islamabad to free him because they thought he would be a meaningful person to negotiate with. the other impor

taliban co-founder mullah abdul ghani baradar arrived for talks in kabul saturday as questions loom about an incoming taliban government. meanwhile, the taliban says its forces have recaptured three districts north of kabul after they were seized by local militias last week. amid the ongoing turmoil, some kabul residents called on the taliban to improve the situation of ordinary afghans as they resumed normal daily activities. >> there are no jobs and we call on the taliban to bring a government that brings peace to afghanistan and create job opportunities for us. amy: meanwhile, the u.n. is warning of a humanitarian disaster in afghanistan. the world health organization says about one half of afghanistan's population, including nearly 10 million children, already need humanitarian assistance and the numbers are expected to soar as the country's economic crisis intensifies. we'll have the test on afghanistan after headlines. as the delta variant continues to fuel another devastating covid surge, the u.s. is now averaging 1000 daily deaths for the first time since march. one in five intens

who bragged about his phone call with the man who now leads the taliban in afghanistan, mullah abdul ghani baradar, who was released from prison at the request of the trump administration. >> and i'll be meeting personally with taliban leaders in the not too distant future, and we'll be very much hoping that they will be doing what they say they're going to be doing. they will be killing terrorists. they will be killing some very bad people. they will keep that fight going. >> the former guy whose secretary of state met with baradar last fall. i guess they expect you to forget all of that. forget all about that. and while the world is watching the horror of afghanistan, covid raging here at home, even though we have all the vaccine we could possibly need, even though we could be protecting children who are too young to be vaccinated simply by wearing masks. instead people like governor ron desantis putting politics ahead of people's lives, ahead of children's lives. the state's board of education taking new steps tonight toward punishing broward county for preparing to start school tomorrow with a

cia director william burns secretly met face to face with the taliban's de facto leader, mullah abdul ghani baradar. the highest level meeting since the taliban took control of kabul. if that name sounds familiar, it is because we have talked about him before. let's remember it was the former guy who secretly planned to meet with the taliban at camp david right before the anniversary of 9/11. it was the former guy who signed a peace treaty with the taliban and bragged about his phone call with, you guessed it, mullah baradar, who was released from prison at the request of the former administration. whose secretary of state met with baradar last fall. and that is who is running the show in afghanistan now. we've also got news tonight on the pandemic. the white house making progress in the race to get more americans vaccinated. 6 million shots in arms in the last seven days. the highest seven-day holt in more than a month and a half. that news coming on the day after the fda gave full approval to the pfizer vaccine. so now all those folks who said they didn't want to get the shot until it was fully a

mullah abdul ghani baradar, one of the movement founders, returned to kandahar last night, mobbed by a moment to savour for the man seen last year signing a deal with the trump administration, which helped set the scene for this remarkable return to power. in kabul, an uneasy calm. taliban fighters everywhere cementing control over a city that has changed out of all recognition since they were last here. a place where, for all the country's many problems, people have dared to hope. translation: i urge the taliban to let the youth and _ women continue their studies so they will advance. we will develop and achieve more gains, more than what we have achieved in the past 20 years. many still want to leave. this was the scene this morning near the french embassy. for all the taliban's talk of reconciliation, many are scared, willing to speak but not be named. at the airport, evacuations continue, the operation gathering pace. the ministry of defence says it expects half a dozen flights to the uk in the next 24—hours. yesterday we got about 700 people out and we are trying to speed up the

note also present was the taliban political chief mullah abdul ghani baradar.. there would be a full withdrawal of all foreign forces by may 2021 if the taliban kept its side of things. the date was pushed back byjoe biden to august — but the deal told the taliban precisely when the americans would exit the conflict — if they chose to continue it. in return the taliban made a number of commitments — the taliban agreed to not attack us personnel. it promised to restrict any activity that could threaten the us, including terror attacks abroad. here's the section... and the taliban agreed to talks with the afghan government — something it hadn't previously done. and remember, the afghan government wasn't part of these talks or the deal. in return for these promises, the taliban got the us departure date. it also got the release of thousands of fighters who were in prison. here's the text of the deal again. it reads... this was the us agreeing to the release of prisoners in afghanistan — without involving the afghan government. perhaps not surprisingly, president g

want to have any problems "with the international community. " withn the last few hours, mullah abdul ghani baradars political leader of the taliban, has flown in from qatar to afghanistan's kandahar province along with a delegation. mullah baradar is a co—founder of the taliban and one of its most senior leaders. in other developments, military flights evacuating diplomats and civilians have re—started at kabul�*s airport. access to the airport is now controlled by the taliban — says the vice admiral sir ben key, who is in charge of the uk evacuation. britain aims to bring out between 6,000—7,000 people from afghanistan — and the us says it is planning to evacuate up to 9,000 passengers per day. pentagon spokesmanjohn kirby added that the taliban has not interfered with the us evacuation efforts out of kabul. local reports say the streets of kabul are quiet on the second full day of taliban rule. militants are out in force, manning checkpoints across the city. let's listen back to some of that press conference held by the taliban spokesman zabihullah mujahid — in which he tried to reassure the res

his deputies include mullah abdul ghani baradar — one of the co—founders of the taliban — who heads theqqani heads the armed combat network, reportedly behind a series of suicide attacks and hostage taking. the un says estimates for the taliban's annual income range from $300 million to $1.6 billion a year, primarily from criminal activities, including drug production and trafficking. heroin, of course. the headlines on bbc news... desperate scenes at kabul airport, as hundreds try to leave afghanistan, following the taliban takeover of the capital. a minute's silence is held for the five victims of the plymouth shooting. and double jabbed people in england and northern ireland will no longer have to isolate, if they've come into contact with someone with covid. other news now — a minute's silence has been held in plymouth, to remember the five people shot dead on thursday. the home office is asking police forces in england and wales to review the way they deal with firearms applications in the wake of the mass shooting. devon and cornwall police referred itself, as it's required to, fo

the first is one of the taliban's co—founders, and its political leader, mullah abdul ghani baradar.l media. mullah mohammad yaqoob is the son of the taliban's co—founder mullah 0mar. he swiftly rose to prominence after his father's death in 2013, and oversees the group's military operations. and sirajuddin haqqani is both a deputy leader of the taliban, and leader of the offshoot haqqani network. it's known for its deadly bomb attacks on afghan and nato forces. joining me now is dr antonio giustozzi, who is a senior research fellow at the royal united services institute and afghanistan expert. thank you very much for being with us on bbc news. i suppose the obvious place to start, i reeled off a load of names which will mean probably not very much to a lot of people watching, and i have to hold up people watching, and i have to hold up the hem, in some cases with those names, that applies to me too. what can you most usefully tell us about the way the taliban leadership operates? the way the taliban leadership 0 erates? ~ ., , the way the taliban leadership oerates? ~ ., , ., , oper