Mawlawi Abdul Haq Wassiq is a prominent figure within the Taliban’s leadership and has served as the group’s intelligence chief since September 2021.
His extensive history within the organization dates back to the 1990s, when he served as deputy chief of intelligence under the first Taliban regime. Prior to that, he oversaw Taliban activities in the southern provinces of Kandahar and Nimruz. Following the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, Wassiq was captured and detained at the Guantanamo Bay facility. In 2014, he was released as part of a prisoner exchange between the United States and the Taliban, in which U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl was freed in return for Wassiq and four other senior Taliban members, commonly referred to as the “Taliban Five.”
After his release, he was relocated to Qatar and became 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. Reports suggest Wassiq was also briefly affiliated with the Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and his Hizb-e-Islami-Hekmatyar jihadist faction.
Presently, Wassiq's close association with Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar underscores his influence within the Taliban's inner circle. He reportedly holds Afghanistan diplomatic passport D0009755 (issued October 23, 2021; expires October 23, 2026), listing a birth date of September 20, 1968. He is sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council under the designation TAi.082.
