Mawlawi Sayed Ahmad Shaheedkhel, a prominent Taliban cleric and military leader, currently holds the position of Deputy Minister for Military Affairs at the Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice since July 2023. Prior to this role, he served as the Deputy Minister of Finance and Administration at the Ministry of Education. Born in 1970 to the late Mawlawi Waseef Ahmad, Shaheedkhel received his early education from his uncles, the late Mullah Bashir Ahmad, and Hafiz Nek Mohammad. Before joining the Taliban, Shaheedkhel was closely linked to the Harakat-i-Inqilab-i-Islami party led by the late jihadi leader, Mawlawi Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi, during the Afghan resistance against Soviet forces. Upon joining the Taliban, he held crucial positions under the first Taliban regime, including serving as deputy minister of education in charge of financial affairs. Following the fall of the Taliban's regime in 2001, Shaheedkhel was captured in July 2003 but was released in 2007. Upon release, he re-joined the Taliban insurgency, assuming roles such as shadow governor of Ghazni province, district governor of Chak district in Wardak province, and Shahjoy district in Zabul province. He served as the provincial military chief in Laghman, Ghazni, Helmand, Farah, and Herat provinces. Additionally, he played a significant role as a member of the Taliban’s military commission and served as the administrative deputy of the Taliban’s Badri unit. Shaheedkhel is listed on the UN's sanctions list under the designation TAi.028.
