Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, also known as Haji Mawin, has been serving as the Taliban's Minister of Refugees and Repatriation Affairs since early January 2025. He assumed this position following the assassination of his predecessor, Haji Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, in a December 2024 suicide attack claimed by the ISIS-Khorasan group. Prior to assuming this role, Mawlawi Kabir held the position of Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs within the Taliban's Council of Ministers from September 2021 to January 2025.
A prominent figure from the Zadran tribe, he is closely affiliated with the Haqqani Network and is considered one of the senior Taliban leaders with strong ties to Pakistan. During the Afghan resistance against the Soviets in 1980s, he served under Mawlawi Jalaluddin Haqqani, the late founder of the Haqqani Network. Later, in the 1990s, Mawlawi Kabir served as the deputy head of the Council of Ministers under the first Taliban regime, overseeing affairs in the eastern region, including as Governor of Nangarhar province, where he was supported by Mawlawi Sadr Azam (now the deputy minister of agriculture). He was also in-charge of Logar province. After the fall of the Taliban's regime in 2001, he was responsible for the Taliban's recruitment and guidance commission. Although he remained loyal to Mullah Mohammad Omar, the then-Taliban leader, he also pursued personal business ventures, including through controlling smuggling routes in the eastern region. He was reportedly involved in corruption and money laundering. According to reports, Mawlawi Kabir is believed to have been behind the deadly November 2007 attack on Afghan parliamentarians in Baghlan province.
His current role as Minister of Refugees is particularly significant, as it involves managing relations with various foreign groups and fighters in Afghanistan, including al-Qaeda, whom the Taliban leaders consider "refugees" and "guests."
Mawlawi Kabir was reportedly born in 1963 in Baghlan Jadid district, Baghlan province, and later relocated to Paktia province. He is among the Taliban leaders sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council under the designation TAi.003.
