Mullah Hasan Akhund who has been named as the interim Prime Minister of Afghanistan is presently head of the Taliban’s powerful decision-making body - Rehbari Shura or leadership council - which serves much like a government Cabinet running all the group's affairs subject to the approval of the top leader.
Reports said that top Taliban leader Mullah Hebatullah himself proposed Mullah Hassan's name to head the government.
Mullah Hassan belongs to Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban, and was among the founders of the armed movement. He worked for 20 years as head of Rehbari Shura and remained close to Mullah Hebatullah.
He had served as foreign minister and deputy prime minister during the Taliban's previous government in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.
Known to be more of a religious than a military leader, he reportedly sanctioned the destruction of the iconic Bamiyan Buddhas in 2001, declaring it a "religious duty".