Qari Mohammad Yousef Ahmadi () is one of the two
Taliban
, leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders
, leader1_name = {{indented plainlist,
* Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013)
* Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016)
* Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...
spokesmen, the other being
Zabiullah Mujahid
Zabihullah Mujahid (; ''Ẕabīḥullāh Mujāhid'' ; also spelled Dhabih Allah Mujahid) is an Afghan spokesperson who has been the chief spokesman for the internationally unrecognized Taliban regime of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan since 25 O ...
. In 2006, Ahmadi contacted
Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency ...
, the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.
Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
,
Canadian Press
The Canadian Press (CP; , ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Press has been a private, not-for-profit c ...
and
Afghan Islamic Press
Afghan Islamic Press ( - AIP) is an Afghan news agency established in 1982, during the Soviet Union's occupation of Afghanistan, by Muhammad Yaqub Sharafat. Sharafat was the nephew of Mohammad Yunus Khalis, one of the leaders of the anti-Soviet ...
by
satellite phone
A satellite telephone, satellite phone or satphone is a type of mobile phone that connects to other phones or the telephone network by radio link through satellites orbiting the Earth instead of terrestrial cell sites, as cellphones do. Therefo ...
to offer Taliban messages regarding southern
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
.
In August 2008, his name began appearing once again, as the focus of a number of Canadian Press interviews with Toby Cohen, in which he advised Canadians that they should elect a
Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
who would remove
Canadian troops in Afghanistan.
Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division.
...
Pull out or else, Taliban warns Canada
August 18, 2008[Cohen, Toby. ]Canadian Press
The Canadian Press (CP; , ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Press has been a private, not-for-profit c ...
Taliban urges next Canadian prime minister to pull troops out of Afghanistan
September 9, 2008 Ahmadi is quoted as saying that "the election is being held in Canada. That is why our attacks on Canadians are increased".
[Cohen, Toby. ]Canadian Press
The Canadian Press (CP; , ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Press has been a private, not-for-profit c ...
, , September 9, 2008 He is also alleged to have said that the Taliban "don't want to fight with Canadians. Actually we want to create friendship with Canadians".
In November 2012, Ahmadi accidentally used
CC instead of
BCC when emailing a routine Taliban press release, exposing the names and email addresses of more than 400 Taliban press contacts. The list consisted mostly of journalists, as well as email addresses that may have belonged to an Afghan legislator, a provincial governor, academics, activists, an Afghan consultative committee, and a representative of
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar (born 1 August 1949) is an Afghan politician, and former mujahideen leader and drug trafficker. He is the founder and current leader of the Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin political party, so called after Mohammad Yunus Khalis spl ...
.
Personal information
Ahmadi was born and raised in
Zabul Province
Zabul (Pashto/Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the south of the country. It has a population of 249,000. Zabul became an independent province from neighbouring Kandahar in 1963. Historically, it was part of the Zab ...
. He has four sons and three daughters.
Recent activities
Ahmadi is noted as a contributor/editor to the Taliban magazine ''
Al Somod''. In April 2014, he reported in detail on a suicide bomber that used a motorcycle to assassinate 50 US and ally soldiers.
His byline also appears on English-language Internet postings claiming to report insurgent activities.
On 24 August 2021, Ahmadi was introduced by
Zabiullah Mujahid
Zabihullah Mujahid (; ''Ẕabīḥullāh Mujāhid'' ; also spelled Dhabih Allah Mujahid) is an Afghan spokesperson who has been the chief spokesman for the internationally unrecognized Taliban regime of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan since 25 O ...
in a press conference. He was appointed as head of Taliban regime's Media and Information Center on 30 May 2023.
See also
*
Ahmadi (surname)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmadi, Yousef
Taliban spokespersons
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Pashtun people