Mawlawi Abdul Haq Wassiq, a prominent figure within the Taliban's leadership, has held the critical position of the Taliban's intelligence chief since September 2021. His extensive history within the organization dates back to the 1990s when he served as the deputy chief of intelligence under the Taliban regime. Prior to that, Wassiq played a pivotal role in overseeing the Taliban's activities in the southern provinces of Kandahar and Nimruz. Following the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, Wassiq was captured and was subsequently held in the Guantanamo detention facility. In 2014, he was released through a high-stakes prisoner exchange between the United States and the Taliban, wherein the Taliban released U.S. sergeant Bowe Bergdahl in return for Wassiq and four other senior Taliban members from Guantanamo, commonly known as the "Taliban Five." Post-release, Wassiq was relocated to Qatar, where he assumed a key role as a member of the Taliban’s negotiating team in Doha. In the past, Wassiq reportedly maintained close ties with al-Qaeda and was responsible for managing relations with al-Qaeda's field commanders operating training camps in Afghanistan. Additionally, reports suggest Wassiq was also briefly affiliated with the warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and his Hizb-e-Islami-Hekmatyar jihadist party. Presently, in addition to his senior role, Wassiq's close association with Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar underscores his centrality within the Taliban inner circle. He is sanctioned by the UN Security Council under the designation TAi.082.
