Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi is a prominent Taliban figure who has served as the Taliban's foreign minister since September 7, 2021.
In the past, Muttaqi has held several key roles within the Taliban movement, including leading Kandahar Radio service and serving as Director of Information and Culture in Kandahar (1995), Minister of Information and Culture (1996), Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1997), and Minister of Education (2000), a position he held until the U.S. ousted the Taliban regime in 2001. Between 2001 and 2021, Muttaqi continued to play influential roles within the Taliban, including as a member of the Taliban's cultural commission, spokesperson, and member of both the Taliban's Political Office and the Negotiation Team in Doha, Qatar (2016-2021). Prior to the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, he was chief of staff to the Taliban’s emir, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, and headed the group’s guidance and recruitment commissions.
A key figure in the Taliban's foreign relations, Muttaqi played a central role in a 1997 Taliban visit to the United States, leading the group's delegation invited by UNOCAL, a California-based oil company that later merged with Chevron Corporation. The visit aimed to negotiate the proposed construction of a gas pipeline through Afghanistan, though the project ultimately did not materialize. He also represented the Taliban in United Nations-led talks during the 1990s.
Muttaqi was reportedly born on February 26, 1971, in Zarghoon village, Nad-e-Ali district of Helmand province, though his family reportedly originates from Zurmat district in Paktia province. His late father, Haji Nadir Khan, moved the family to Pakistan when Muttaqi was nine, where he attended a local madrassa. He later studied Arabic grammar and earned a degree in Islamic studies.
He reportedly holds two Afghanistan diplomatic passports — D0009716 (issued on September 25, 2021, in Kabul; expires September 2026) and D0009803 (issued on December 13, 2021; expires December 2026). Despite receiving several travel exemptions, Muttaqi remains listed under the United Nations sanctions regime under the designation TAi.026.
